N. J. Walters

I discovered writing later in life. Like most teenagers, I dabbled with poetry, pouring my insecurities and angst onto pages of blue-lined school notebooks. In my twenties, I tried my hand at children’s stories, even going so far as to take a course in it. It was only in my thirties that I began to even contemplate writing romance. The odd thing is that I have been a voracious reader of romance most of my adult life. For many years, I read at least one book a day—category romance, paranormal, romantic suspense, historical—I read it all. With my husband’s encouragement, I wrote two mainstream romance novels. But after several rejections, I put my stories away for over five years. Then I had surgery. It was only gallbladder surgery, but it changed my life. Being laid up for a month, due to several minor complications, I began to think about my writing and wondered what I was waiting for. Based on some comments on a rejection letter, I rewrote both novels. It was a fantastic learning tool and I sharpened my writing skills. I also noticed a contest for an erotic romance novella online. The contest closed the next day, so I dashed off the five pages that I needed to enter and submitted them. I didn’t get anywhere with the contest, but I couldn’t stop writing about the characters—Annabelle Lee Murphy and Mike Sloan. I finished the manuscript, edited and revised it over and over and then started looking for a place to submit it. I was thrilled when Ellora’s Cave asked to see the man

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