The End of So Much For Me

Yesterday was the end of Amber Quill Press. It still fills me with a lot of sorrow to write out those words. 

Back in 2007/2008 when I took a chance and entered their then publishing contest I never expected to get anywhere. I'd been writing for years and at that time had no success getting a publisher.  I used to write hetero romances but one day started reading gay romances, sometimes called M/M, and my love affair began. 

The story I submitted to the contest was called The Squire. It combined my new found love of M/M with my love of medieval romances. 

I officially sent my entry for the "Heat Wave" contest on January 01, 2008. 

What a shock it was to me when on February 29, 2008, I received the following:

It is my pleasure to inform you that the manuscript you recently submitted into our 5th Annual Heat Wave Contest, THE SQUIRE, has been selected to receive an e-publishing contract with Amber Quill Press.  Congratulations!  With more than 200 entries this year, the competition proved fierce, so pat yourself on the back for a job well done!  

I surely read that email a hundred times certain it was a mistake. It wasn't. The Squire was published in June of that year and thus began a long history of publishing with them. I released more than 20 titles with them over the years, many of them, like The Squire, very good sellers for me.  Car Wash, Most Likely to Succeed, At Long Last, the Only Series, Sutter's Bay, man, I could go on. 

Those early years were especially fond ones for me and it was a pleasure working with my editor, Catherine, and all the others at AQ, especially Trace who was always phenomenal.

I have no idea what the future holds for me and all my orphaned books other than the ones I have already noted here but I'll always remember my time with Amber Quill as a happy and successful time.