Three Brothers Three Nations (Part 3 of 3)

I wrote a lot on my days off from school. When school was out on a weekday it was glorious to spend the whole day in writing my book. One day I wrote thirty-two pages. It wasn’t until Just before I entered high school that I finished the second version. I knew that the third version should be typed. I figured that since I was almost sixteen and almost able to date, I would get a girl friend who knew how to type and then have her type it. I figured during the days in the summer after my sophomore year, she would come over to my house and type for eight hours straight. Of course, I really doubt that my parents would have approved of such a plan. Despite the fact that I was not going to pay the poor girl for her work, (I had no money) I was going to have her type with me in my bedroom all day.
As it turned out, I ended up typing the third version myself. I set up a big table in my room and I worked feverishly on it every day during the summer.
I heard an ad on the radio one night that said, “Are you an unpublished author?”
“Yes!” I answered out loud. The radio commercial went on to tell about Vantage Press. The announcer told me about a toll-free number I could call for more information. I jotted down the phone number. The next day I called it and got an information packet coming. When I received it in the mail, I learned how I could have my book printed by them if I payed a certain amount of money. I didn’t worry about that. I wrote to the company and told them I had a manuscript almost ready. They even wrote me back a few months later and wanted to know where it was. I was flattered. At the same time I was getting a magazine called Writer’s Digest each month. I was also on every mailing list that had to do with writing. Dad once told me that Mom was jealous because I got more mail than she did.
The day finally came when I sent off the manuscript for Three Brothers Three Nations. A few weeks later Vantage Press sent it back to me with a rejection slip. It wasn’t the last time that I would get one of those, but at least I had tried.

Coming Tomorrow: I Need You In Mixed Chorus