How long did it take to write In the Frame?

By one count, I started in 1995, so 30 years. But that was just making some notes. I really started shaping a novel in 2009. It was called The Opening, and I brought it to the Vancouver Manuscript Intensive. I knew I had something, but I didn’t feel brave enough to show it to friends; I wanted a professional opinion. My mentor advised me to start over, to work more on character development, and develop a more dramatic story. So I did that in 2019 and by the fall had a version I showed to some trusted readers for feedback.

My first round of submissions to publishers had no result, but almost as soon as I sent it out I thought of a better way to open the novel. I revised it and sent it out again in May-June 2021. That’s when The Porcupine’s Quill, a traditional publisher, accepted it. I was thrilled! So, from March 2019 to May 2021, it took just over two years. But a lot of work went on before that, as I had to work through the more academic writing I’d done for years and learn how fiction works. A huge learning curve and of course I’m still on it.

Unfortunately, in October 2023, the publisher had to suspend operations and they cancelled my book. But the editor had started to work on it and she gave me her notes. From December to February, I revised In the Frame again and sent it to traditional publishers in March 2024. I had no takers by December, so began to investigate hybrid publishers. From my new conception in March 2019 to publication last August, it took 6.5 years.