How do you take your coffee?

Know what happens when a bunch of women get together? Especially a group that is getting to know each other?

Birth and delivery stories.

It doesn't take long. Last week, barely half an hour after "Hi, I'm Jane," I found myself elbow deep in C-section sagas and doula details. 

Of course I participated with enthusiasm, as proof of my two deliveries ran around like caffeinated monkeys in the next room.

It's not much different than when authors meet. Before long we're swapping stories about agents (or lack thereof), publishing contracts (or lack thereof), and that amazing and terrifying feeling of seeing our work in print - set free to make a mark (or lack thereof) on the world.

So, I'll start. Here's my story, I'll try not to Reader's Digest the life out of it.

My first book was written one chapter a week, a Bible study that used the Twilight novels to illustrate God's eternal love. (It works. Really. Eternal love, it's Meyer's secret sauce.) I thought it was just going to be something for my friends to enjoy. But I couldn't leave it alone. It refused to stay quiet on my hard drive.

I queried agents and received rejections - when I wasn't ignored entirely.

So I tried again to ignore it.

It wouldn't be left alone.

I read up on self-publishing and decided to put it out through Lulu. I sold 80 copies. Give or take...

I thought I was done.

Not.

Ever have a thing keep pushing itself back into your consciousness? Some authors talk about characters that won't get out of their heads, or a plot twist that has to be explored. I had a book that insisted on being.

One day, when the youngest offspring was in preschool and I had 2 1/2 hours all to myself, I decided to spend the time with my laptop at the coffee shop exploring crowd funding.

Yes. I was that desperate.

Instead, a small house publisher was sitting at the table next to me, who took the last copy of my self-published book to the editor, who called me the next week and offered a contract.

Just like that I was published.

Crazy, right?!?

Your turn!

Was your experience an easy natural birth? An emergency C-section? Something in between? Pour some coffee and share your story below!