Making Possible the Impossible

This is a sponsored post from Disney and BlogHer.

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37

I nourish an inclination for impossible situations. Stories of those who overcame insurmountable obstacles in order to achieve a worthy goal ignite my courage and fuel my drive. The Disney production of Secretariat will be released on October 8. I am looking forward to the dramatization of Penny Chenery’s story of determination and grit as she fought the odds and won. It is such a determined spirit that made America great, the stuff of which legends are made, and yet it happened within living memory.  According to the official website:

 Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.  Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge.  Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

I remember hearing about Secretariat as a child. Frederick County was the heart of Maryland horse country. We kept horses ourselves and followed the news about Secretariat with interest. I little guessed at the time that I would someday have my own impossible situation to overcome. 

In 1995 I wrote a novel about Marie-Antoinette and called it Trianon. I had been fascinated by Marie-Antoinette since the age of nine. By the time I was a grad student I had visited Versailles twice, but it was not until I saw a picture of Petit Trianon in Smithsonian Magazine that I felt inspired to write something about the Queen. It was just a photo of a staircase, but in my mind’s eye I could see Marie-Antoinette walking down it. I wanted to capture a moment in time, one of those happy moments that were like islands in a sea of tragedy in the life of Marie-Antoinette. I was already deep into research about the French Revolution as part of my graduate studies. I wrote the Prologue and then put the whole thing aside for ten years.

After a trip to Vienna in late 1994, I found the manuscript and the notebooks with my research in my father’s basement. I felt compelled by my trip to Vienna to take it up again, for I had visited the tomb of Marie-Antoinette’s mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, in the Capuchin crypt.

It was a turbulent time in my life, as I was undergoing a major career change. I had no computer, no internet, and little money. Nevertheless, I was imbued with the desire to tell the story of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette as it had never before been told, shedding a new light upon the gravely misunderstood King and Queen. I wrote ten hours a day, stopping only to eat, sleep and pray. Before I even completed the final manuscript, I began sending out query letters and sample chapters to every publisher I could think of. Rejection after rejection came. I knew in my heart that somehow Trianon would be published although at the time it seemed futile.

In the meantime, I got married and set up housekeeping in Pittsburgh, PA. One weekend in late August 1997 my husband and I were visiting friends in Maryland. It was the weekend that Princess Diana died and we were all reeling from the shock. My friend Virginia and I were sitting in her kitchen after brunch, drinking coffee. We talked about Princess Diana, and how similar she was to Marie-Antoinette, and yet how different. We lamented that my novel was not in print. Suddenly, Virginia, who designed and published catalogs for a living, exclaimed: “Mary, let me publish your novel.” The impossible had become possible.

And so it began. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing, although Virginia was quite adept at lay-out and graphic design. She not only published the book, but designed brochures and press releases to send out to bookstores, colleges, seminaries, newspapers and magazines. We mailed them far and near, offering free review copies of the book as soon as it was printed.

Trianon was published on November 1, 1997, just in time for Marie-Antoinette’s birthday. The first printing was comprised of 700 volumes. A week later we held a book-signing at Virginia’s house, inviting all of our friends and family. The books sold well. I began to be invited to other book-signings at colleges, women’s clubs, bookstores and church groups. Meanwhile, the orders for the books began to trickle in, from individuals and booksellers alike. There were a few reviews, but mostly the news spread through word of mouth. 

Within a year we had sold out our inventory. A small Mid-western press offered to publish the second edition. They asked for a sequel as well, so I wrote Madame Royale. In 2000, Madame Royale was published, as well as the second edition of Trianon, by The Neumann Press. Both books quickly found an international following which continues to this day.

Now with the internet and a blog, the sky is the limit as far as book promotion goes. As of this year (2010) both books are on Amazon Kindle and in new paperback editions. They continue to sell steadily along with my 2009 novel, The Night’s Dark Shade. I have readers from all over the world. In April 2009 I was invited to speak in Auckland, New Zealand about Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. I have found that determination and the refusal to give up count for much of what it takes to publish and successfully promote a book. The rest is the grinding effort of hard work. In that regard, the whole venture is a bit like a horse race. Most indispensable of all, however, is the help of a good friend, a friend who believes in one’s ability, which for writers as for horses is the ultimate key to success.

I welcome my readers to share their own stories of impossible dreams come true in the comments box. Also, in honor of Secretariat, BlogHer is offering a $100 Visa gift card as sweepstakes prize. More information, HERE.

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