Pam Mellor Joins Ranks of Published
 

By Cheryl Bolen

Upon being notified she had made her first sale--a humorous erotic novella--Pam Mellor quipped, "The bad news is my parents aren't alive to see me get published, and the good news is my parents aren't alive to see me publish erotica!"

With great lines like that, it's no wonder Pam will be one of the launch authors for Kensington's new humorous erotica line, expected to debut in February, 2006.

There are no revisions to her novella, Pleasure Beach, and Kensington will keep the title.

The sale came about less then three weeks after she signed with agent Sha-Shana Crichton.

If it sounds like things happened quickly for Pam, think again. It took 10 years in RWA and approximately 11 completed books before that first sale came.

Even hearing back from her agent took a nail-biting 13 months.

The West Houston RWA chapter was indirectly responsible for that first sale. Pam met Crichton at the agent-editor extravaganza the chapter co-hosted with Northwest in the spring of 2004.

For Pam, writing humorous erotica evolved naturally. She's always loved screwball comedies, and she has what she calls "a warped sense of humor."

In the fall of 2004 a Harlequin editor rejecting a project (because the humorous line was closing) called Pam to tell her how much she loved her romantic comedy. Her new editor, John Scognamiglio, "seems to get a kick out of my voice."

She says she did not consciously choose to write comedy. It chose her.

The writing has been honed over the years with a whole troop of critique partners: Cheri Jetton, Linda Barrett, Pat Rosen, Babette DeJohgh, Jessica Trapp, Peggy Hamilton-Swire, Kary VanWagingen, Judythe Hixson, Janet Clementz-Garza, Terri Dunham, and Sharon Mignerey.

During the 10 years in RWA she finaled in some contests, but the only ones she remembers are Lone Stars (Northwest) and Oklahoma's Finally a Bride. Some of her titles entered in contests were Sometimes Nice Girls Do, Brandon's Baby, and Southern Knights. All of them romantic comedy with a high level of sexuality. As soon as RWA began offering Pro pens, Pam earned hers.

She holds a bachelor's degree in business (small business management) from the University of Colorado, and her career paths have spanned from being a bridal consultant to managing an orthodontic office.

"My steps may have faltered, but I always considered myself first and foremost a writer," she said. She was unsuccessful in attempts at a freelance writing career and decided she needed a larger venue. "I always had great difficulty writing post cards [because there was] not enough room!" After determining to write a novel, she began taking writing classes.

While it may have taken her seven years to earn her college degree, in the same amount of time she had six pregnancies, resulting in five (now-grown) children. Her youngest recently graduated from college and left the nest.

Pam credits Sha-Shana with bringing her out of the deep funk she plunged into following the death of both parents in a two-year span. Not only had she been unable to write, at times she could not even look at the computer. "A message from Sha-Shana ignited a tiny spark of hope. Ideas began to perk. She offered representation, and the ideas came faster, flooding my waking thoughts, coloring my dreams. By the time she made 'the call,' I was back."

Pam's immediate plans include completing the other erotica Kensington has contracted and finishing a paranormal she was writing when her mother became ill. (Pam is an only child.)

A typical writing day for her begins early. She grabs a Coke and heads for her office, where she reads e-mail to wake up. In warm weather she takes a swim. In cold weather, she substitutes Curves for her swim. At the latest, she makes it to her desk by 10 a.m. She first rereads and tweaks the previous day's work, then picks up where she left off. She'll write until around 1, when she takes a lunch break. That's when she'll do some household tasks. "My children may be gone, but their laundry visits often!" Pam said. She'll return to her office at 3 and write a few more hours--longer if something's "really rolling."

Now that her career is rolling, "My goal is to sell as many books as possible," she said.

First appeared in Happily Ever After in July, 2005