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My Writing -- The Journey to Publication

Pam Wells • Apr 11, 2022

Today I'm welcoming pre-published author Pam Wells. Wait--don't let that turn you off. Pam shares important insights into her writing and the path to publication, plus she shares an excerpt of her pre-pubbed book.


For those of us entering the world of writing, it’s an intimidating and herculean place. If you’re anything like me, there’s much to be scared of and much to be anxious about.

Our thrill of writing collides with the real world, and our dreams of being published can be dashed into the rocks of reality. As someone who has trod the path to plead with agents to simply glance at my work, only to be turned away every (yes, every) time, it’s incredibly hard to keep going.

I’ve come to realize though that I keep going because I love writing. I picked up writing a year or two ago, so it’s not a surprise that my first round was a dismal failure. But, I’m not giving up. I have fallen in love with my characters, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

In a prior post, I mentioned Janet Evanovich liked my Tweet, and I still ride its coattails. I have loved Ms. Evanovich since I picked up my first Stephanie Plum book nineteen years ago. She has been my inspiration and my mentor from afar. I have dreamed of having conversations with her, and when I picked up her book, “How I Write,” the manner in which the book is put together was like I was having a conversation with her myself. In my dream I can ask her all the questions I long to ask! About how she reached her style, how did she find her voice, how often did she want to give up? Mostly I want to beg her to read my book and tell me if there’s any hope or if I’m completely off base with my dream and I should just go back to selling at Victoria’s Secret (yes, I actually did this many years ago.)

All of us want reassurance in our writing. All of us want to know if we have something special or if ours is simply another in a long list of [enter genre here]. I want the validation that comes with an agent. Perhaps that’s why I’m still sticking my neck out there. I want someone to fight alongside me and help me slay the dragons in the publishing world. I’m not asking to build an empire. I’m asking to be included in a world of people I have admired for years. I know there is a place for me at the table. I know that I can reach readers and introduce them to my characters, and they will love them as much as I do.

I do know that one way or the other I will get my books out to readers, be it traditional publishing, small press publishing or self-publishing. The name of this game is perseverance.

 

Stay tuned on my journey to publishing, I may not be there yet, but I will be.

 

 

About Pam:

I am Baltimore (pronounced “Bawlmore”), Maryland, born and raised; from Oriole’s games to a bushel of crabs, I bleed Baltimore pride. Yet, life has taken me everywhere, from California to Italy, courtesy of Uncle Sam and the US Air Force. Being a military spouse gives me a front-row seat in the workings of the military, and I use those experiences in my current book, The Falcon is Blue. I am a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

 

 

Three Questions:

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

Paris— I definitely adhere to Audrey Hepburn’s often quoted phrase, “Paris is always a good idea,” because to me, yes it always is.

 

How did you get started writing?

I kind of fell into it during Covid. I was reading a cozy mystery and I thought, I can do this. And I have. I’ve written two novels and am thoroughly enjoying the process.

 

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

Follow me on Twitter @PamelaKyel and my website/blog: https://pamelakyel.com/ I’m in the querying trenches right now and I’d really love to hear from people who might be interested in reading my novel should I decide to go an alternate route.

 


 

Excerpt:

 

Dead people made me sick, and in my line of work, that posed a problem. With twenty years of Active Duty under my belt, I had seen it all, but I still couldn’t get past the upset stomach that came with the job. As Special Agent Major Laci Duvall of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), the military constantly places me in situations that would challenge even the strongest constitutions.

I turned from the sheet-covered body on the table and glanced at the man in the white lab coat in the corner. Instead of acknowledging him, I put my head down and pulled the monstrous gleaming door of the stainless-steel room open, and stepped right into the path of someone coming in. I mumbled my excuses but continued my search for a much-needed sanctuary.

To the left was more stainless steel, but I turned right and walked the length of the hallway. The dull thud of my combat boots echoed off the cinder block walls rising around me. The door to the bathroom bounced against the wall to my left when I pushed my way inside, and I was met with more stainless steel, lovely. 

I closed myself in the first stall I could find and rolled my forehead across the door, pinching my eyes shut and trying to block out what I had seen.

I lowered myself onto the commode before I passed out and placed my hands on my knees. I sat and stared at my distorted reflection on the door of my sanctuary, trying to catch my breath.

“What happened, Zach?” I asked.

The last I saw Special Agent Zach Wheaton, AFOSI, was when we met to officially sign the dotted line that would dissolve our blessed union; it had been a long time coming. Never in my wildest dreams did I picture seeing him again, especially not this way.  

 

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