Welcome, Mimi Barbour

I am delighted to welcome Mimi Barbour to my blog today. We are both members of the Vancouver Island chapter of Romance Writers of America, and Mimi has been a tremendously helpful mentor to me. Today she is sharing a little of her writing journey with us. One of her books is FREE today on Amazon (see details below).

Years ago, after I had written my very first book (which still resides in the oldest files on my computer), I knew I needed to find others like myself who were serious about a writing career.

Chicken right down to the elastic on my undies, I wouldn't tell anyone in my personal world about my new favorite pastime. Not me! I was still very green to the writing world. I guess I worried they might jeer, or tease and make fun. I knew if anyone scoffed or didn't take me seriously, I’d be emotionally wounded. All my life, my imagination would kick in anytime I drew on it, so I felt strong enough about this path to fantasize about my impending wealth, just not that confident in my writing ability.

 I needed to make contact with others who had the same interest, people who could teach me all about the craft and the business. New friends, like myself, who were serious about being an author. Look and you shall find said…?? Humm, someone must have said it because I didn't make that line up. Anyway, I did look and I found the local RWA group, met some wonderful woman and have never looked back. 

It was through one of my new associates that a contest being offered by a small e-publisher called The Wild Rose Press came to light. Something inside me pushed that button – you know the one that says – go for it! What do you have to lose? - So I entered. Unfortunately, my submission didn't come close to following their guidelines. What can I say? I almost never do what I’m told….sigh!!

 

They’d asked for a novella-length story, which had to be about a woman who would walk through a garden gate in a small town in England called Bury. They even had a picture of an old house and a garden gate for us to visualize. Once the protagonist walked through, she must go back in time to one of four eras. I chose the Vintage era. Since I’d lived through the fifties and sixties, I figured how hard could it be? Course it didn't enter my head that I hadn't lived those years in England. Uh huh…I know!

My raging imagination kicked into overdrive and I thought it too tame to just have my heroine walk through a dumb ole gate. So I had her go through the blasted thing, sit on a vicarage bench and prick her finger on a magic rose bush. Then to make matters even worse, instead of letting the girl end up in her own body, I had our heroine, gorgeous but spoiled model Jenna, go back forty years to invade the body of a librarian, chubby, lovable Lucy. So the two of them reside together in one body, and the antics are hilarious. Had such fun writing this story!

Needless to say, my submission wasn't accepted into the contest, but their editor offered me a stand-alone contract. And so began the series called The Vicarage Bench. The first three books “She’s Me”, “He’s Her” and “We’re One” are novellas. 

Then determining that I should write full-length, I did so for the next two “Together Again” and “Together for Christmas”. After taking a hiatus from this series to write my Angel books and the Vegas series, I am working again on the next book for the Vicarage Bench called “Together Always” and expect it to be published next year around this time. 

Happy to announce that today, She’s Me is “FREE!!” on AMAZON, as is my medieval romance Passion in the Blood.