The Novel in the Desk Drawer

Nearly every author I know has a novel gathering dust somewhere, either in a drawer or on a hard drive.

My dusty novel is called Exposure. It's a history mystery starring the very real 19th-century journalist named Nellie Bly.

I love good history mysteries and am especially fond of the late 19th century. Not sure why. I think that a fondness for certain eras is a lot like a fondness for a certain color or ice cream. No rational reason why. It just is.

Before I started doing research on Ms. Bly, I was vaguely aware of her name and that she had something to do with going around the world in 80 days. (Actually, she did it in just less than 77.)

But a few years ago, when the Pulitzer prizes came out, I read something about Joseph Pulitzer that referenced Nellie. One thing led to another and I realized just how important she was.

Nellie was a barrier breaker. She was the very first woman hired by a newspaper to do real news, not the sob sister stuff that other women always got stuck doing. Her first story for Pulitzer's World was an exposé of the cruel conditions that inmates endured in New York's most infamous asylum.

Nellie did this by faking her own insanity and getting herself committed. Once inside, she dropped the pretense but no one seemed to care. If her editor on the World hadn't come to her rescue, Nellie may never have gotten back out.

Yep, she was a gutsy lady.

When I finished this book, I sent out a query letter with a writing sample to ten agents at the same time. In less than four days, I had three agents contact me who were interested in seeing the whole book. To say I was thrilled—even as long as I've been in this business—is a tremendous understatement. 

But then it began. One wanted this edited. Another wanted that changed. The third needed something else. By the time I had tried to accommodate all the requests, the book had fallen flat for me and none of the agents accepted it for prime time.

That was before I started publishing my own books.

My husband read one of the first incarnations of Exposure and every once in a while, he brings up how much he liked it and why don't I publish it, etc. Finally, I think enough time has elapsed and I'm ready to tackle it again. I needed enough time and distance to see it clearly.

So the hunt is on in my files to see if we can find that older draft so I can polish it with a fresh eye. And come April 2011, Nellie will be released.

Stay tuned.