Incredible, brilliant, prolific, inspiring Laurie Faria Stolarz and I share a publisher, and she answers this question for us today: Can you tell us about your road to publication?

My path to publication is paved with an array of rejection – from the standard form letter and the fortune-cookie-sized pre-printed note, to the more personalized invitation to send future work.

I tried selling my first novel, BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES, for over two years before I finally found an editor who was willing to work with me. That editor, Megan Atwood, though no longer at Llewellyn Publications, was really excited about the project and so I knew I was in good hands.

Finding a suitable agent or editor is a full-time pursuit in itself and luckily I didn’t give up – even 50 rejection letters later. I’d keep a log detailing to whom I had sent my work, what exactly I had sent (i.e., a query letter, sample pages, the full manuscript), how long he or she had kept it, and what the outcome was.

My favorite rejection letter came from an editor who said: “While this is an interesting project, I do not feel it is strong enough to compete in today’s competitive young adult market.” That same young adult novel (BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES) has sold over 150,000 copies, was named a Reluctant Reader Quick Pick through the American Library Association, a Popular Paperback, and was nominated for YALSA’s Top Ten Teen pick list. When I speak to young people and aspiring writers, I always tell them this story, that if I had stopped persevering, I may never have been able to enjoy the success of my work.

Since the publication of BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES, I have gone on to create a series, adding three more books that come after BLUE: WHITE IS FOR MAGIC, SILVER IS FOR SECRETS, and RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE. And, in the fall of 2009, BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS will also join that list. In addition to the series, I have also written BLEED and PROJECT 17, also for young adults, and published by Hyperion/Disney. I am currently working on a new series for Hyperion/Disney (the TOUCH series), the first book of which, DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, will be released in December 2008.