The Story Behind the Story:

Unpredictable Turns was five years in the making.  Started by L. L. Zampelli in September, 2001, the story developed out of a dream and bloomed from there.  "It was a weird dream," L. L. Zampelli says.  "I was the one who lost my husband in the dream, something I could never comprehend in reality.  The rest of it came from my time in orthopedics and growing up around racing."  

Zampelli also discusses her techincal difficulties and pursuing publication.  "The disc the story was originally typed on contracted a virus from the computer and was wiped out.  Luckily for me, I had a printed copy of the manuscript and was able to rewrite from that. Of course, as I rewrote, the story was changed a little, but the basic premise remained the same."

When it came to publishing, Zampelli claims the writing process was easier.  "I originally began the publication process by seeking publishing houses on the internet, but to my dismay, major publishing houses wouldn't touch my writing with a ten-foot pole.  They want established writers, or an agent pedelling it for you.  I certainly had no other published works and an agent was out of the question.  I was a little discouraged, so the novel sat for a little while.  Then I started looking into the option of self-publishing.  That turned into a big shocker.  The starting price to self-publish was between $700 - $1000.  Now I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of cash just lying around.

"Last year, I was continuing my internet search and found Publish America.  To my surprise and delight, they are willing to take ALL the risk if they like your work.  I submitted a synopsis over their website and waited.  They sent me an e-mail stating they wanted to read the manuscript.  I sent them the manuscipt and waited again.  I got the news in August, 2006 and was surprised to discover they wanted to publish Unpredictable Turns.  I shared the news with my supervisor and two of my other co-workers.  My supervisor, in turn, e-mailed the ENTIRE company and shared the news with them.  At that point, I was no longer a closet writer."

After years of writing and months of editting, reading proofs, and approving cover art, Zampelli's first novel is available.  In December, Unpredictable Turns became available over the internet.  On February 12, 2007, it will be available in retail stores.  Zampelli comments, "It's still a bit surreal to me, even after getting my copies from Publish America, and signing several books for friends and family.  I don't know that it will feel real until that first royalty check comes in."

 Posted 2/10/07