How does a professional animal communicator end up writing romance novels?
It’s a fair question, because the two interests—animal communication and romance writing—don’t seem at all related. In fact, many well-meaning people have advised me to choose one and let the other go. Their point: It’s hard enough to succeed at anything when you’re laser-focused and giving it everything you’ve got. It was entirely possible that such a divided focus would doom both ventures to failure.
But I’ve always believed that my passions would provide a roadmap to the next right place. So, as I honed my skills of animal communication, I honed my writing skills too. While I built my business as an animal communicator, I wrote a how-to book about animal communication, and several novels (some that are still under the bed, taunting me like Edgar Allan Poe’s telltale heart under the floorboards).
But my romance writing and animal communication skills all came together one day at a romance writer’s conference, when a writer who knew my work said, “You should pitch something to Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks. She’d love your writing.”
My truth-meter went off in a big way. I knew without a doubt that some channel to the heavens had opened up, and that if I did my part and followed through, the universe would conspire to ensure my success.
I was only attending the conference to support my critique partner whose new book had just been released, and I hadn’t planned to do any pitching or networking myself. I had already self-published two books, and I was quite happy to leave the thought of traditional publishing in the rear view mirror. But I knew without a doubt that pitching this idea to Deb was something I was supposed to do, and that the other author’s suggestion amounted to marching orders from the Universe.
It was the last day of the conference, so I went straight up to the meeting room where editors and agents were taking 5-minute pitch appointments. Deb had already left for the day, so I pitched my completed unpublished books to another Sourcebooks editor.
Her response: “Nope. What else ya got?” They didn’t want single books. They wanted a complete series.
Flying by the seat of my pants, I pitched an idea off the top of my head. (Emphasis on the word idea—I hadn’t written a single word or done any plotting at all.) “I could write a series about an animal communicator who conspires with animals to help their humans find forever love.”
“Great,” she said. “Send me a proposal.”
I dropped everything else and got busy, and a week after I sent the 75-page proposal, I got a phone call, not from the editor I’d spoken with, but from Deb. She wasn’t on board with the proposal as written, but she invited me to make a couple of changes and resubmit. Again, I got busy. I made the changes and sent them off with complete confidence—not in myself necessarily, but in the Universe’s promise to open every door I was supposed to step through.
So now, my two missions in life—animal communication and romance writing—have blended seamlessly in an organic way that makes perfect sense. And it all happened because of a random comment that felt to me like the hand of God bonking me on the head and saying, “Do this.”
In hindsight, I realize that it was all meant to happen exactly the way it did. I was supposed to follow both of my passions and trust that they were integral parts of some design I couldn’t yet see. Even though a lot of the time, following my passion felt like walking barefoot in the dark, I did have faith that one day it would all come together. And finally, it has.
MAGNOLIA BAY MEMORIES by Babette de Jongh
Animal communicator Babette de Jongh brings you a bright and hopeful romance filled with:
- People and animals who get a second chance
- A community that makes everyone feel at home
- Friends-to-lovers romance that proves everyone deserves a forever home
Heather Gabriel is a widowed mother struggling to be there for her children. She takes a job at Magnolia Bay’s Animal Shelter and meets Adrian, the shelter’s new business consultant. But she’s not interesting in being anything more than colleagues—this definitely isn’t the right time for a summer affair.
The shelter’s animal communication expert Reva Curtis knows there’s more to Heather and Adrian’s mutual attraction than they let on, and she’s determined to bring them together. With the help of Heather’s three children and all the animals at Bayside Barn, the two soon realize they can have a future together…if they can let go of the past.
Small town romance will never look the same once you’ve traveled to Magnolia Bay!
Romance Contemporary [Sourcebooks Casablanca, On Sale: November 30, 2021, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781728216980 / eISBN: 9781728216980]
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About Babette de Jongh
Babette de Jongh lives in the backwoods of L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama) with her husband, whichever of the kids happen to be home, and double-digit numbers of assorted animals. When she’s not writing, she’s outside working in the garden, in the basement sculpting something, or working at her “other” job as a telepathic animal communicator, counselor, and healer. She teaches workshops on animal communication at Dragonfly Pond Farm.
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