Today's Special - - Kat Martin

Kat Martin is back with a new Brodies of Alaska novel and this one may be my new favorite. Be sure to check out AGAINST THE TIDE!

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History.   She is married to L.J. Martin, author of western, non-fiction, and suspense novels.

Kat has written more than sixty-five novels.  Sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries, including Japan, France, Germany, Argentina, Greece, China, Russia, and Spain.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Kat currently resides in Missoula, Montana, on a small ranch in the beautiful Sapphire mountains.

Her last eleven books have hit the prestigious New York Times bestseller list.  Both AGAINST THE WILD and AGAINST THE SKY, her latest release, took top ten spots.  AGAINST THE TIDE the 3^rd book in the Brodies of Alaska series hit shelves on May 26th!

Visit Kat's website at www.katmartin.com

Or look for her on Facebook  at Katmartin/author.

HOW I GOT PUBLISHED

May 26^th marks the release of the twelfth novel in my Against Series--AGAINST THE TIDE, Rafe Brodie and Olivia Chandlers' story, the third in my Brodies of Alaska. 

After writing for so many years, it's almost hard to remember how difficult it was getting my early books sold.  I’m sure every author has an interesting tale of how he or she got published.  In my case, my husband Larry had written an historical novel titled Shadow of the Mast set in early California, but he couldn’t find a publisher.  I loved the book, which was extremely moving and very romantic. 

Since I was a voracious reader and adored the book, I couldn’t understand why publishers weren’t snapping it up.  (I still have no clue as to how New York publishers actually think.)

I decided to see if maybe there was something I could do to polish it a little, maybe help it sell.  By the time I was finished, I was hooked on the idea of writing a book of my own. 

I chose a western romance because I had a western background, and Magnificent Passage was born.  Now both of us had books to sell, which we tried to do by attending conferences, looking for an editor who might be interested, and trying to find an agent.

At a conference in Fresno, California, we met an agent who agreed to read sixty pages of any attendee’s manuscript.  We sent the pages and the agent took both of us as clients.

Unfortunately, those manuscripts were summarily rejected by every publisher in NYC!  Despair set in.  Picking ourselves up, we each started writing another book.

Months later, the very last publisher my first manuscript had been sent to decided to buy it.  Pageant Books made it the lead title for their new romance line, a great start for me. 

During that time, L.J.'s manuscript, his second western novel, Tenkiller, was sitting in the slush pile at Kensington where it had been for nearly a year.  It was picked up, read, and purchased.  After all the waiting, we were published six weeks apart, which meant we could travel and promote our novels together.

The bad news was my first publisher closed its doors after just two of my books were printed and I was out on the street again.  Again, I was rejected everywhere. 

Totally distraught, I was trying to bolster the courage to keep writing when, at the last possible moment, Berkley picked up my next novel, Captain's Bride, and again, the book was chosen as a lead title.  Even after that, it was no easy road.

Since those early days, I’ve written for nearly all the major houses.  Some were a real pleasure, others not so much. 

Currently, Kensington is publishing my Romantic Suspense novels.  In AGAINST THE TIDE, RafeValdez, Alaska.  It's a majestic but harsh and remote place to live.  Fascinated by the new owner of the Pelican Café, Olivia Chandler, Rafe begins to wonder why such a beautiful young woman would want to hide herself away in such a place. 
Brodie is the captain of a charter fishing boat fleet in tiny

Rafe is determined to solve the mystery, but when his first mate, young Scotty Ferris, is murdered, Rafe has a far more important mystery to solve.  

Scott was Liv's friend, too, and she is equally determined to find his killer.  As the clues unfold, Rafe and Liv are drawn into a web of secrets and lies and that lead both of them into danger.

I hope you’ll watch for AGAINST THE TIDE and if you haven't read AGAINST THE WILD and AGAINST THE SKY, I hope you'll try them, too.

Till then, all best wishes and happy reading, Kat

Thanks to Kat for sharing her journey to publication with us today. 

Readers, how did you discover Kat Martin's books? Did you first discover her as an author of historical romance or romantic suspense? 

How you were first introduced to the romance genre?

One person who leaves a comment will receive a copy of AGAINST THE TIDE.