Making an Artist the Heroine of a Novel

"Write what you know," they told me.

"In My Studio"

I did. I wrote about an artist.

"That will never do," they said. "Artists as heroines will never sell."

Those statements came years ago when I first started writing novels. I believed the editors of some of New York's most established publishing companies who wrote those words on my manuscripts.

I believed them and didn't break the rules. Other writers broke the rules and became well-known. Now I wish I had paid no attention to the rules. I should have remembered that "rules are made to be broken." (Wonder who said that?)

My latest book, Evening of the Dragonfly, features Farrah Ferand, an artist and a teacher with a few psychological issues, including repressed memories. It is a romance with growth, love, an artist studio, and art galleries.

I believe they were wrong. I believe my book with an artist heroine will sell. I wrote about what I love and what I know. You can't always follow the rules. Besides, maybe things have changed in the world of publishing.

What about you? Do you write about heroes and heroines doing the things you like most? Or do you follow the rules?