Happy Pub Day!

by Maggie Marr

Do you remember the bit in the cartoon Frosty The Snowman where the kids put the old black hat on Frosty's head (before he began to dance around) and Frosty says:

Happy Birthday!



Well I keep hearing the same thing in my head only it is:

Happy Pub Day!

What a circuitous route to publication Courting Trouble has taken. I began this book in late 2007. I think there have been more than 10 drafts--not counting rewrites and polishes.

Courting Trouble began it's life as a romantic comedy--which it is no longer. The manuscript went through multiple name changes: In The Heart of Tulsa, Somebody To Love, Tulsa On My Mind, and finally thanks to my brilliant agent the 'manuscript of many names' became Courting Trouble.

In a prior incarnation many many years ago the author of record was named Meg Parker (what author doesn't have a nom de plume at some point in their career) and Courting Trouble was nearly sold to New York, but alas no deal was struck. It was at that point--heart broken and tired of the entire story--that I abandoned the project and wrote two other manuscripts, three TV projects, and two film scripts.

Fast forward to November 2011 when I pulled out Courting Trouble--the book I loved that never sold and said, "Huh. Wonder what I could do with this now."

The process of rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting began...again. Outlines, highlighters, red pens, post its, and many reams of paper later by the end of May, I had finished this incarnation of Courting Trouble or nearly finished. I had 40 pages left on a final edit and a tentative publication date of July 2012 -- when I decided to take the California Bar Exam.

Cue screeching halt SFX.

There was no way I was going to finish editing Courting Trouble, study for three months for the most difficult bar exam in the country (with respect to New York and Florida, Cali's is THREE days long and has a pass rate of 50%), take the grueling 3-day test, and make a publication push.

Time to place Courting Trouble onto the 'wait until' corner of my desk. I studied. I wrote practice essays on torts, property law, con law, crim law et al. until my eyes glazed over and my fingers froze to my keyboard. I did over 1,000 MBE questions. Then I took the exam. And waited.

While I waited for Bar results I finished my edit. Got a substantive edit. Got two copy edits. Had several proof-readers go through Courting Trouble.

Got amazing blurbs from amazing authors:

"A Maggie Marr romance is the perfect escape!"--Jenny Gardiner, Author of the #1 Kindle Best Seller Slim To None.

"Courting Trouble has all the elements I love: family drama, strong characters, and sizzling heat. I loved Courting Trouble!" --Jennifer Probst, New York Times Best-Selling author of The Marriage Bargain and The Marriage Trap.

"Family secrets, buried truths, and long-lost love--Maggie Marr gives us all that and more! Courting Trouble makes facing the difficult past absolutely delicious!" --Megan Crane, author of Once More With Feeling and I Love The 80's.

I had the book formatted for e-pub and finally on this Tuesday, December 11, 2012 after years of work, (and 3 days early) Courting Trouble went live.

But guess what else happened.

On the same day Courting Trouble went live, I got sworn into the California Bar.

Completing these two things--makes this a Happy Pub Day! for me.


Maggie Marr is an attorney licensed in California, Colorado, and Illinois. She is the author of Hollywood Girls Club, Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club, Can't Buy Me Love and Courting Trouble. She has the perseverance of Sisyphus and the loyalty of Lassie. She will eventually complete anything she sets her mind to. She is an independent producer with Dahooma Productions and has written for TV and film and ghostwritten multiple books. She lives in LA with her outrageously good looking husband and her fabulous children. PLEASE buy her books!