Mary Kay asked:

Was your research so thorough that you learned surrogacy is not legal in France or was that a tidbit you already knew from other reading?  (I’m amazed at that detail!)  I devour your fiction. And I’m wondering if finding a publisher for these “far out” story lines is challenging? As a newbie, I hear a lot of comments that discourage such creative plots–sadly, I think.

Thanks for sharing, I’m very encouraged to hear some of your experiences. Especially that I’m not alone in writing a 45,000 word first draft! 🙂

Hi, Mary Kay!

Always good to hear from you, and thanks for the questions.  Before starting the book, I didn’t know that surrogacy was illegal in France, but apparently it’s illegal in many European countries. Why there (since Europe is usually more “progressive”) and not here is a mystery to me . . . unless Europeans tend to be more conscious of bloodlines and inherited titles (and that’s a wild guess).

As to whether or not it’s harder to find a publisher for unusual story lines, well, I think that depends on the author. I have developed a bit of a reputation for unusual high-concept story lines, so for me, it’s what people expect (the unexpected!)  In fact, when I offer up more typical story lines, the reception is not nearly as fervid as it would be for my atypical fiction plots. So for me, the unusual IS the usual.

But publishers–especially in a bad economy–are generally risk-averse, so a new writer might do well to abide by the tried and true, or to venture only a little beyond the ordinary. Once you get your foot in the door, you can stretch yourself, your audience, and your publisher to some extent.  But most publishers want you to remain in the same genre for at least five or six books. It takes that many to build a solid audience.

Hang in there.  And have fun growing that first draft.  🙂

~~Angie