Last Friday, my
26th novel became available from my publisher, this one under my
second penname, Cara Covington. Considering that my debut novel came out in
March of 2007, that's a lot of books in a relatively short time. You probably
surmise that I spend a lot of my time writing, and you'd be
right.
The most amazing
thing is, if I was still waiting for a publisher to say "yes", I would still be
writing, although probably not with as much confidence.
I guess I had to
have a heart attack and then open heart surgery to get to the place where I was
able to do what I love most in all of the world to do.
Before my
medical problems—at age 48—I worked for nearly 30 years in the field of
accounting. I did accounts payable, accounts receivable, balance sheets, and
payroll and benefits. I knew beyond a doubt that a credit was a debit and a
debit was a credit, and just because it balanced didn't mean it was right. I was
pretty good at what I did, and I had been told by more than one boss that they'd
never seen anyone work so quickly, or with so few mistakes.
A co-worker once
accused me of treating my "job" like a career, a comment she thought was an
insult, but which I took as a compliment. I have always believed
that if you're going to do something, you should do the best damn job at it that
you can—especially if you're being paid for it.
I carried that
attitude over to my writing, of course. My beloved will tell you he shakes his
head in amazement at how much time I spend looking things up, contacting
experts, checking my facts...doing research to try and ensure that I get things
right. My sister-in-law once told me—and yes, I am still speaking to her—that
since I was only writing porn and not The Great Canadian Novel, she didn't see
why I had to be such a perfectionist about it.
Well, aside from
the fact that I don't write porn, thank you very much, I am
writing the great Canadian novel. To me, that's what every one of my books truly
is. Yes, they have graphic love scenes. But they also have compelling
characters, and good plots. They often address real challenges that women, and
men, face in life.
Each of my
stories has more than one level to it. And even if they didn't, there is value
in simply giving your reader a few hours away from the challenges and stresses
in their own lives. If that was all that my books were about, I would still
strive to write the best book I could.
The thing is, I
love what I do, and I'm proud of what I do. If I wasn't getting published, I
would still be doing it. I guess that's the definition of happiness...and
passion, too.
I know how lucky
I am that I can devote my days to doing what I love.
I know what it's
like to go to work each day, and sometimes wonder if you'll get through the
eight or ten or twelve hours. Folks who do that, who go to work
day in and day out, even though they don't like what they're doing are, in my
opinion, the real heroes in life.
I can't say that
I had a passion for accounting the way I have a passion for writing. It was
boring work at times, but I found a way to make it interesting. I don't put up
with boring. I never have. If something needs to be done and it's dull and dry,
I find a way to make it palatable, and I work as quickly as I can to be done
with it.
I may never be
famous, or monetarily wealthy. Those things don't really matter to me. I've
always said that as long as I have the makings for a good cup of coffee, and
plenty of toilet paper, I can get by.
But I am
enormously rich in the work that I do, and the friends I have made, and the
readers who read my books and then write to me to tell me that they love
them.
I am blessed,
and highly favored.
Love,
The only dream I've ever had was to be a published author. It was a dream formed in childhood, and held on to through the business of growing up. Life intruded, as life does, and my dream was put on hold. But now, through hard work, faith, and luck dream has evolved into reality.
Romance is a wonderful genre that accommodates every other. Comedy, mystery, paranormal, suspense, or science fiction, romance embraces them all. Erotic romance gives all of that, and so much more.
For readers who want all the best traditional romance has to offer – great characters, compelling stories and a happy ending – and who crave that extra bit of heat – I invite you to read one of my novels and let me know what you think!
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