THE SECRET OF A ROMANCE WRITER

Hi, I'm Erin Quinn (aka Erin Grady) and I'm new to popculturedivas and pretty excited to be here! As this is my very first post, I hope I "do it right" and say something interesting, if not meaningful. To tell you a little about me, I'm the author of six novels, the latest of which was released in August. HAUNTING BEAUTY is the first in a series and will be followed by HAUNTING WARRIOR in May 2010.

There's a story behind the publication of my haunting series. About this time two years ago I'd been chewed up and spit out by the grind of the day job, the pressures of my family responsibilities, finances, the publishing business, and life in general. I took a look around and thought--something has to give. I had the choice of making that something my sanity or my health. And then I read that little known (*g*) book called, THE SECRET.

An avid romance reader, I've never had much time for self-help books. To me, self-help is losing myself in the world of happily ever after. In fact, I was so distanced from the market of self-help that I didn't even know THE SECRET was self-help when I started listening to the audio book. I just knew I'd heard about it over and over, so thought...okay, better find out what it's all about.

What did I discover? A message I hadn't heard before. The idea that I controlled what felt like an out of control life. That I could change my own experience. That there was hope for me. I won't go into all the details, all the little steps I took, but I will say in a nutshell--it changed my life. I recommend it to anyone who is struggling, trying to figure out just how in the hell they're going to get out of this pea soup they're wading through and back to a life where things make sense.

One of the important lessons THE SECRET talks about is the idea that to give is to receive. Now, even I know this is no new concept. I heard it in Sunday school when I was little and all through my adult life. I've always been one to put a dollar in the collection pot, the jar at the grocery store, the pocket of the homeless person--regardless of the fact that they may use it to fund their drug habit. Each time I do this, I think about how grateful I am that I'm not the one standing on the street corner, hands out. (Side note here, did you know that the original term handicapped came from the act of holding out a cap in hand to collect donations?)

I try to live the lessons I learned in THE SECRET and even though I still don't have enough money or time or (some days) a life, I try to focus on the rainbow, not the rain. In keeping with that, I try to make sure that every day, I give something back. Whether it's the $3 donation added to my check out tab at the grocery store or the packets of coffee for our soldiers at Starbucks. I run contests each month on my website, and I always include a "giving it back" opportunity. For every book I sell, I give. This month I have a couple going on--one for the pets and one for the cure. A friend of mine asked, "but doesn't that eat up any profits you'd make." Maybe. Maybe I'm just paying it forward. As the holiday season approaches, I encourage you all to stop at the collection pot and say hi to the bell ringing Santa, add that extra little bit to your grocery tab even though things might be tight at home. Give when you can and even sometimes when you can't. Your life will be fuller and your heart lighter. I believe that you will find what you give comes back in ways you couldn't have imagined.

So what's the story about the publication of my new series and THE SECRET? Well, I think I'll save that for the next post. :-)

Thanks for stopping by! If you want more information about me or my contests for animals or for the cure, stop by http://www.erinquinn.info/.