Turning Ten

Time flies! 

I don’t spend much time reminiscing about past triumphs or missed chances in my writing life. But I was caught off-guard when I discovered that this is the 10th anniversary of the publication of The Body Next Door, Book#2 in the Samantha Newman Mystery Series.

So today, even though I’m deep in the weeds with the writing of the fourth book, I hark back fondly to my second one.

Why? Because Sharon Lynn, of the Blackbird Writers Group (and an accomplished writer herself) aired a really fun video conversation about it that had me had me reliving my favorite inspirations for the story. You can take a peek here.

After a long career, a writer can lose track of which character does what in each story. So before I spoke with Sharon, I thumbed through the book to make sure I would ge the facts straight. That’s when I noticed that the pub date was 10 years ago this week.

The arc of my career flashed before me.

It began decades ago when I was a magazine editor, followed by contributing some work to the thriller Five Minutes to Midnight, which debuted as a New York Times “New & Notable.”

After that, I began to think I might be able to author a book of my own. The first one I tried was inspired by my time as a fresh young actress trying to make it in Hollywood. But as the pages turned, it became clear that my manuscript was becoming nothing more than a weak sister of Valley of the Dolls, the blockbuster best-seller from years before.

I trashed it and started over.

What emerged from the ashes was The Body Business, my first solo novel. I chose to set it in the corporate world, though its characters aren’t far removed from a few people I crossed paths with during  my show biz years.

My publisher took it and then suggested that I continue the story of  Samantha Newman into a whole series, so I did, with dollops of coziness in the ones that followed.

And ten years later…

… The Body Next Door—the middle child of the series has earned praise from readers and reviewers alike. The success of that book has encouraged me to keep going.

With the completion of Book #3, The Body in the News, the story still has plenty of room to grow.

I known writers  who’ve plotted out their entire career plan and stuck to it. But I had no plan in mind when I started.

My life has led me down unexpected byways. Yet I’m thrilled over the pleasure that readers say they get from the stories. And I’m so very  grateful for the chance to tell more of them.

Thankfulness

In this month of Thanksgiving, I offer deepest thanks to those who’ve helped me along the way: my family, my writing colleagues, and especially, to readers and reviewers everywhere.

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “New & Notable.” Her Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor.  Available on Amazon or to order through your favorite bookseller.