Meet
Brenda Novak
1. How would describe your launch as a best-
I hit The New York Times when I least expected it. I had
selling author?
a million things on my mind (as I said above, I have five
I was fortunate enough to sell my very first book to
kids so that sort of gives you a clue as to why!) but
HarperCollins--a historical romance titled OF NOBLE
hitting the list wasn't one of them. So when my agent
BIRTH, which I've since resold to Montlake (Amazon)--
called, my thoughts didn't immediately reach for the
but that hardly made me a bestseller. I was orphaned
possibility. I could tell by her level of excitement that
(lost my editor when she was fired during the merger
something significant had happened, but I still didn't clue
between Harper and Avon), so I lost my slot at that
in. The call went like this:
house. Fortunately, I'd already sold my first
contemporary novel to Paula Eykelhof at Harlequin, and
"Hi, Kim. How are you?"
she's bought just about everything else I've been able to
"Good," she said. "And you?"
produce in the past fifteen years. We are now up to fifty
I told her I was good, too. Then she said, "You're about
books together and hope to do many more.
to be a lot better."
At this I caught my breath. "Why do you say that?" I
2. If math and science were your best subjects in
asked tentatively.
school then how did your creativity in writing
"You just hit The New York Times!" she screamed.
flourish?
I felt my jaw drop as I scrambled to figure out HOW this
I was put in a difficult situation and had to figure a way
most amazing thing--something I'd wanted since I wrote
out of it. When I caught my daycare provider drugging
my first manuscript--had happened out of the blue.
my children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day
TRUST ME had come out three weeks earlier. STOP ME
so she could watch soap operas, I quit my job to stay
wouldn't be out for another week. Typically, if you're
home with them myself. But I needed to be able to help
going to hit a list, you do it the first week of a book's
my husband (who was losing his business) earn a living. I
release.
was trying to figure out what I could do with three little
Scarcely willing to believe her, I asked, "With what
kids (I have five now), but nothing came to mind--until I
book?"
was reading a good book. It was Jude Deveraux's
She laughed. "TRUST ME! It hit #20, which means it
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR. I loved that story so much
made the print list."
and, when I finished it, remember thinking, "I wonder if I
can do this!" I started the next day and have never
looked back...
3. Was what it like the moment you first became a
best-selling author?