Shining a spotlight on Author and Artist, Sheila Hansberger

MY WRITING JOURNEY by Sheila Hansberger

Most of my life has been spent as a professional artist, dealing with art galleries or clients who needed customized ad campaigns. But when my husband passed away, I felt as if I’d lost my muse. Try as I might, I couldn’t force myself to paint. But my friends wouldn’t allow me to sit idle, so they regularly got me back out into the world for some type of distraction.

On one such outing, we attended the Sawdust Festival, held annually in conjunction with the world-famous Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Among arts and crafts booths, a rustic stage dominated a shady location near the food vendors…perfect for grabbing a bite while we sat and listened to live music. That day, the featured musician was Benise, a Spanish guitarist who strummed Latin instrumentals. Of course, CDs were available, and I bought the one titled Cuba.

At home, the music played in the background while creative juices stirred in my head. I imagined a smokey Cuban cantina, a simple spotlight, and a handsome guitarist filling the space with his exotic songs. A young woman, fresh from a break-up, and drowning her sorrows with mojitos, occupied a lonely table. Well, you don’t have to be a genius to take a hint. I plunked myself down in front of my computer. Day and night, I put all my efforts into writing a romance novel. Afterall, anyone can write a romance. Right? Ha! Prior to that, I’d only written press releases or how-to articles about art. Ignoring the fact that not everyone is destined to write novels, I plunged ahead anyway, anxious to address my need to be creative.

The resulting manuscript had merit, but I didn’t know how to approach a publisher. A friend suggested I meet with a local author who had over thirty books in print. For ninety minutes, she politely listened to an excited description of my 63,000-word story. Afterward, she gifted me with a sample query letter. Then, she dropped the bomb—explaining how the competitive publishing world worked. Self-realization hit: I still had lots to learn.

I read everything the Internet offered about writing. Blogs, podcasts, and classes filled my hours. I also joined professional writing organizations. RWA and SCBWI helped guide the way as I attended meetings. And being part of a critique group taught me even more. I learned about submitting query letters and how to pitch my novel at conferences. Even having no luck with that, my skills gradually improved. A break came after entering a contest, earning me a Second-Place award. And a call from an agent! However, he wanted revisions. I had already struggled to rewrite the manuscript multiple times and couldn’t imagine doing it again. Besides, I’d found a genre that interested me more: Suspense. So, hard as it was, I said thanks, but no thanks. That manuscript still haunts my computer; someday I plan to revisit it with fresh eyes.

I eventually wrote my first suspense, The Gardener’s Secret. Confident it would do well, I entered another contest, which resulted in a First-Place award. That win brought me to the attention of a publisher, The Wild Rose Press, who offered a contract. They published my debut novel in 2024. For my second manuscript, I turned down the next contract. Seeking more control, I decided to self-publish. Runaway Artist is set to release in August, 2025. I’m halfway into writing the next one, Lost Pieces of August, and I hope to finish in 2026.

Do I still paint? Absolutely. But writing fills my brain right now, and it isn’t letting go.

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Thank you so much for sharing your personal writing journey, the reasons behind why you write, what fuels your inspiration, and the challenges of bringing a novel to life, and to be offered the gift of a submission letter, wow! Completing a manuscript is a remarkable achievement in itself, but pushing through to publication? That’s the ultimate triumph. Truly, the dream of every writer.

To our readers: thank you, each and every one of you, for choosing to spend your time with a book. Your curiosity, support, and love for stories are what keep writers going. Without you, where would we be?