Today we’d like to introduce you to Magan Vernon.
Hi Magan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I think I started like any girl who got detention in middle school for passing around the naughty scenes of a book during science class. I discovered a love of reading from an early age and didn’t think being an author was a real job until the Twilight series came out.
I devoured the books and then thought, ‘I wonder if I could write something that makes me feel like this. My fiance at the time, now husband, told me if I was going to go for writing and publishing that, I needed to do my research. At the time, we were living in a little house in Illinois, and social media was still a new thing. So, through magazines and a Janet Evanovich book on writing and publishing, I discovered Romance Writers of America and learned what I needed to do to get a book ready for publication.
Through RWA, I met my mentor, Geneieve Jack, who helped me get my first book published in 2011 through a publishing co-op.
Since then, I’ve had over forty novels published, plus translations in Brazil and France. I’ve also landed an agent and sold books to bigger publishers as well as continued self-publishing.
Recently I started working as a business manager for a boutique publisher, and I love that I can do everything from my home in North Texas.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha! There is nothing smooth about publishing. It seems to be a very ever-changing industry. When I first started out, the only way I knew to make it was to query agents. I sent out so many letters, and no one wanted me. It wasn’t until I saw my books soaring into the top 100 on Amazon that I finally signed with my agent in 2016.
Besides being a published author and working for a publisher, I’m also a Texas mom of girls. This entails lots of going back and forth to pee wee cheer practices, softball, and trying to battle the heat while taking them to everything.
Half the time the other moms have found me on the bleachers with either my Alphasmart or my phone, taking down notes or writing a chapter when I’m on a deadline.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an author, I started out writing young adult science fiction because it was what I was comfortable in. Slowly the romance genre kept squeaking its way in then one of my most popular series has been a romantic comedy set in Texas (The Friendship, Texas series). If I look back through my sales, The Edge of Glory, my first Friendship, Texas book has been my best seller overall. There’s something about a small town, Texas romance that everyone loves.
I think what has set me apart from other authors in my genre is probably my humor and social media persona. My agent actually refers to me as ‘quirky.’ Ha!
I’m low drama, so if you follow me on social media between book posts, you’ll usually see me talking about my pets or other things I find in my backyard (Guess people not from Texas don’t realize how many crawdads we get out here!)
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Even if you don’t buy my books (which the library carries them, some are free in Kindle Unlimited, I do a lot of sales), recommending my books, reviewing my books, and sharing my posts. Those are all little ways to help support a small business and creator.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maganvernon.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/maganvee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormaganvernon
Image Credits
LitUncorked
