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ERIE —
Deborah Vogts, Erie, always wanted to write a book. Now her first book, Snow Melts in Spring,” is out and selling well.
But her success took years of hard work to accomplish.
“I’ve wanted to write a book since the time I was in high school,” Vogts said during a telephone interview Friday. “I started my first book when I was a sophomore on my mother’s manual typewriter and finished about 20 pages, then our house burned down.”
She started a second book in her senior year, as a project in a creative writing class.
“I did 100 pages this time, and got an A-plus-plus from the teacher,” Vogts said. “That manuscript is still sitting in a drawer.”
She attended Emporia State University, studying English and journalism.
“But in my heart, all I wanted to do was write a book,” Vogts said. “I had done two complete manuscripts, with lots of re-writes when something didn’t sell and I tried to make it better.”
In 2002, she said, she felt a call to write.
“I felt that if I didn’t do something with this desire and this gift, then it would be taken from me,” Vogts said.
Up to this point, she had no formal training beyond the English taught in high school. Now she joined American Christian Fiction Writers, an online group, and also joined the Christian Writers Fellowship, which meets from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month at the Girard Library.
She also became involved with a four-member critique group which critiqued one chapter a week for each person, began reading writing how-to books and subscribed to “Writers Digest.”
“My writing improved by leaps and bounds,” Vogts said. “I thought I was ready to get an agent.”
In 2005 she went to a conference in Nashville, Tenn., and met with a prospective agent. Despite some initial interest from the agent, nothing much came from it.
She next talked with an agent from a Christian agency in Colorado Springs. Vogts had completed a manuscript and the agent took her on immediately.
“She shopped the manuscript around for a year and we had interest from two publishers — then everything died and the agent let me go,” Vogts said. “I hit a low bottom, but attended another conference and got a lot of support from other writers who encouraged me to keep trying.”
She sent three more proposals out to agents, and quickly received two rejections.
“Then I decided on a new project and started writing just for the joy of it, forgetting all about getting published,” Vogts said. “As soon as I did that, the third agent called. She was interested in the story I was currently writing.”
The story was “Snow Melts in Summer,” and it was accepted by Zondervan, the world’s leading Christian publisher of books. “I have a contract for three books, with an option for a fourth,” Vogts said.
The books will be a series called “Seasons of the Tallgrass,” all set in the Flint Hills. “Readers will recognize some familiar characters in the community, but each story will feature new families with new problems,” the author said.
Her interest in the Flint Hills began when she was at ESU and took a course called “Flint Hills Folklife,” which included field trips.
“That’s where my love began,” Vogts said. “It’s amazing this type of life still exists in Kansas. In my books, I want to share my love for the beauty of the Flint Hills.”
Mattie Evans, heroine of “Snow Melts in Spring,” also loves the Flint Hills. A skilled young veterinarian, she struggles to establish a practice there, aided by John McCray, gruff owner of the Lighting M Ranch. Mattie falls in love with Gil McCray, John’s estranged son, a pro football player living in California. Their romance is complicated when Gil tries to persuade his father and Mattie to come back to California with him, and by the guilty secret between Gil and Jenna, Mattie’s older sister.
“This is not just a romance, but also deals with family relations, and it’s been appealing to men as well as women,” Vogts said.
The next book in the series, “Seeds of Summer,” is due out in April 2010, and deals with a young woman, a Miss Rodeo Kansas, who comes home again after her father’s death to raise her two younger siblings.
“She has to deal with her unresolved ambitions, her father’s death and being both a sister and mother to her siblings,” Vogts said.
She just returned from a book signing in Denver, and has also done signings in Erie and Parsons. Right now she’s in a resting phase at her home, where she and husband Christopher raise and train American Quarter Horses. They have three daughters, Samantha, Maggie and Abigail.
“I’m definitely open to talking at churches, libraries, book stores, clubs and so on,” Vogts said.
She also loves hearing from fans at debvogts@gmail.com or Deborah Vogts, P.O. Box 232, Erie, Kan., 66733.
Deborah Vogts, Erie, always wanted to write a book. Now her first book, Snow Melts in Spring,” is out and selling well.
But her success took years of hard work to accomplish.
“I’ve wanted to write a book since the time I was in high school,” Vogts said during a telephone interview Friday. “I started my first book when I was a sophomore on my mother’s manual typewriter and finished about 20 pages, then our house burned down.”
She started a second book in her senior year, as a project in a creative writing class.
“I did 100 pages this time, and got an A-plus-plus from the teacher,” Vogts said. “That manuscript is still sitting in a drawer.”
She attended Emporia State University, studying English and journalism.
“But in my heart, all I wanted to do was write a book,” Vogts said. “I had done two complete manuscripts, with lots of re-writes when something didn’t sell and I tried to make it better.”
In 2002, she said, she felt a call to write.
“I felt that if I didn’t do something with this desire and this gift, then it would be taken from me,” Vogts said.
Up to this point, she had no formal training beyond the English taught in high school. Now she joined American Christian Fiction Writers, an online group, and also joined the Christian Writers Fellowship, which meets from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month at the Girard Library.
She also became involved with a four-member critique group which critiqued one chapter a week for each person, began reading writing how-to books and subscribed to “Writers Digest.”
“My writing improved by leaps and bounds,” Vogts said. “I thought I was ready to get an agent.”
In 2005 she went to a conference in Nashville, Tenn., and met with a prospective agent. Despite some initial interest from the agent, nothing much came from it.
She next talked with an agent from a Christian agency in Colorado Springs. Vogts had completed a manuscript and the agent took her on immediately.
“She shopped the manuscript around for a year and we had interest from two publishers — then everything died and the agent let me go,” Vogts said. “I hit a low bottom, but attended another conference and got a lot of support from other writers who encouraged me to keep trying.”
She sent three more proposals out to agents, and quickly received two rejections.
“Then I decided on a new project and started writing just for the joy of it, forgetting all about getting published,” Vogts said. “As soon as I did that, the third agent called. She was interested in the story I was currently writing.”
The story was “Snow Melts in Summer,” and it was accepted by Zondervan, the world’s leading Christian publisher of books. “I have a contract for three books, with an option for a fourth,” Vogts said.
The books will be a series called “Seasons of the Tallgrass,” all set in the Flint Hills. “Readers will recognize some familiar characters in the community, but each story will feature new families with new problems,” the author said.
Her interest in the Flint Hills began when she was at ESU and took a course called “Flint Hills Folklife,” which included field trips.
“That’s where my love began,” Vogts said. “It’s amazing this type of life still exists in Kansas. In my books, I want to share my love for the beauty of the Flint Hills.”
Mattie Evans, heroine of “Snow Melts in Spring,” also loves the Flint Hills. A skilled young veterinarian, she struggles to establish a practice there, aided by John McCray, gruff owner of the Lighting M Ranch. Mattie falls in love with Gil McCray, John’s estranged son, a pro football player living in California. Their romance is complicated when Gil tries to persuade his father and Mattie to come back to California with him, and by the guilty secret between Gil and Jenna, Mattie’s older sister.
“This is not just a romance, but also deals with family relations, and it’s been appealing to men as well as women,” Vogts said.
The next book in the series, “Seeds of Summer,” is due out in April 2010, and deals with a young woman, a Miss Rodeo Kansas, who comes home again after her father’s death to raise her two younger siblings.
“She has to deal with her unresolved ambitions, her father’s death and being both a sister and mother to her siblings,” Vogts said.
She just returned from a book signing in Denver, and has also done signings in Erie and Parsons. Right now she’s in a resting phase at her home, where she and husband Christopher raise and train American Quarter Horses. They have three daughters, Samantha, Maggie and Abigail.
“I’m definitely open to talking at churches, libraries, book stores, clubs and so on,” Vogts said.
She also loves hearing from fans at debvogts@gmail.com or Deborah Vogts, P.O. Box 232, Erie, Kan., 66733.
