A Story

By Marla Bell 

Hi, my name is Marla. I write fantasy and my story is about a girl woman mature woman, who looked like your normal, everyday woman on the outside. But on the inside, hidden in the deep depths of her soul, she held a dark secret—she had written a book and hoped to get it published. The years sped by, as years have a tendency to do, and she found it more and more difficult to keep her secret hidden. It would burst free at random times and her family and friends would smile sadly and whisper to each other behind her back that she might need to be institutionalized.

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This went on and on and the woman began to believe that she was foolish to dream this dream. Who did she think she was—J.K. Rowling? Then one day, quite by accident, she stumbled into the mystical realm of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, a realm with people who had a dream just like hers. There were others there, too, who had seen their dream come true. These people didn’t know her, but they welcomed her in just the same and embraced her as one of their own. It was a magical place, and for three luxurious days, she flourished under the guidance of editors, agents, best-selling authors and other lost souls like herself, and by the end she had gained the knowledge and confidence she needed to go forth and prosper. As she drove away on that rainy Sunday, her head ready to explode with all that she had seen, heard and learned and her eyes filled with tears, she vowed she’d be back, for her life was now changed and Pikes Peak Writers Conference (PPWC) was where she belonged. The End.

If this story has a familiar ring to it, it's because it is based on a true story. It’s my story, but it could be your story, too. For a long time—too long actually—I denied my passion to write, believing no one would ever want to read anything I wrote. But I continued to play around with writing for the fun of it and a miracle of miracles happened. I finished my first full length novel. Thinking my job was finished, I cheerfully sent off the first draft to several agents. (It was their job to edit and fix it up—right?)

Of course, the rejection letters came in and I was devastated. This first book was a lesson in how to do it the wrong way, but then I found PPWC and my life completely changed. PPWC is an insider’s look at the publishing business and how it works, but it’s so much more than that. They teach better writing techniques, how to find an agent and editor, how to market, and best of all, they give us the opportunity to meet some of the greatest authors of our times—R. L. Stein being right up there at the top of my list. PPWC opened my eyes and made me a believer and has been the best thing I’ve done for my writing career. Without them I don’t if I would have ever gotten off the ground. Now I’m proud to say I’m an award-winning author with two books published and the third one just weeks away from being published, and my story is no longer a fantasy. It’s a reality complete with a ‘happily-ever-after’ ending, and yours can be, too.

About the Author: Marla Bell is the award-winning author of Chronicles of the Secret Prince. You can find her at: 

http://mj-bell.com              FB: MJ Bell Author              Twitter: marlabell2