Visit Kathy's writing site, Chica Writer.com, for her essays, short stories, publishing tips, book news, and writing blog!

Kathy Cano-Murillo has been writing stories longer than she has been crafting! Inspired by Judy Blume and Erma Bombeck, she caught the literary bug in grade school. She used to draw pictures, and then write a colorful story to go with it. She spent her high school years as a devoted journalism and yearbook student. Years later, she became a full-time features reporter and craft columnist for the The Arizona Republic. She began blogging in 2003 as an outlet for her creative writing. Kathy's career as a published author began when craft book editors came across her web site and offered her a book deal.

But craft book editors weren't the only ones who noticed her work. Kathy was also approached by a different editor asking if she would consider writing a novel based on her blog. In that blog, Kathy chronicled the comical, sometimes tearful, always eventful adventures of the "crafts, drama and glitter" of leading an artful life as a wife, mom, full-time newspaper reporter and running an arts and crafts business. Kathy laughed off the request. But when a second editor from a different publishing house asked the same question, Kathy took the idea serious. She spent one year outlining an idea, but was too fearful to write the opening sentence. She eventually joined a local writing group, and signed up for National Novel Writing Month, where she cranked out the first draft of her book, then-titled, The Crafty Chica Chronicles. She spent the next year editing it. Kathy had such a busy schedule, the only time she could work on her novel, was after 10 p.m. - after everyone else went to bed. Kathy stayed up until 2 a.m. four days a week.

In May 2005, she submitted her manuscript to her agent, who sent it back with major revisions. "This book needs a plot! Back to the drawing board!" Kathy then cried and doubted her skills. She put the project away and decided to devote more time to her family - and sleep!

In May 2006, Kathy taught a writer's shrine-making workshop at Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez's inaugural Chica Lit Fiesta in Miami, FL. Kathy came home so inspired and motivated by the published authors she met, she pulled out her manuscript, her agent's notes, and got back to work - again from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

In early 2007, Kathy submitted her revisions to her agent. Her agent's response was "I love this, I can sell this!" - and then sent Kathy 11 pages of single spaced notes of revisions. Kathy made the revisions, sent them in, and her agent then responded with seven pages of double spaced notes. Kathy made those revisions, sent them in and her agent responded with margin notes. By the end of June, Kathy and her agent were ready to submit the manuscript to editors!

The second week of July 2007, the book went out to 11 editors. In the first few days, the declines came in. "All it takes is one," Kathy's agent reassured. By Wednesday, an editor made an offer! Within 24 hours, two more editors followed suit! By the end of the week, Kathy accepted a two-book deal from Grand Central Publishing. But the revisions didn't stop there. Kathy worked with her editor to re-craft the plot to what readers will see when Kathy's debut novel, WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER, is released on March 3, 2010. Kathy is currently working on her second novel.

SYNOPSIS: Struggling domestic-goddess-in-training Ofy is determined to turn heads at this year's International CraftOlympics. To do that, she'll need the help of her best friend, Star. Considering herself a serious artist, Star is hesitant, but finally agrees to help as a way to end her own creative slump. Truthfully she thinks Ofy is a little loca about the whole craft thing - and about her idol: Local TV personality, Crafty Chloe. Star doesn't trust the bottle-blonde, even after she becomes part of their crafting team. As the competition heats up, Star will learn Chloe's dirty little secret, why crafting means so much to Ofy, and that beauty, art, and creativity can take many more forms than a canvas hanging in a gallery.