Ronda Rich

Syndicated Columnist

One million words ago, I started this column. That’s a lot of stories to tell.

Additionally, I have written 11 books, including one that was turned into a television movie and one that is closing in on its 50th printing. Those books would add, roughly, another 800,000 words of characters and chapters. Every story told, without exception, revolves around the South and her people.

When the good Lord blessed me with my first book, it was a big deal in every way possible. The outline sold at a four-day auction among several New York publishers. I was breathless with excitement because it was the dream I had carried in my heart since I was 4 years old — and toted around Little Golden books — to grow up and write books. It also changed my career path and my financial landscape.

The fairytale began when my new agent phoned and cheerfully announced, “Random House just called and said they will pay whatever we want for this book on the charm of Southern women.”

My breath stopped. “How much do we want?”

He laughed. “Oh, dear child, if Random House wants it this much, other publishers will, too. This book is going to auction, en route to being sold.”

I hung up the phone and ran up and down the stairs in my foyer a couple of times, yelling with joy and calling out, “Thank you, Jesus!”

When my energy was spent, I sat down on a step at the landing, gathered myself, and called a friend on his direct office line. He had always believed that big things lay in my future.

“Like what?” I asked him once. “I don’t know. But you’re a star. A blind man could see that. This ol’ country boy can tell you this: you’re goin’ places.” I was dubious.

When he picked up his phone that day, I rushed in, “Guess what! You won’t believe it!” In a sputter of words, I told him the astounding news.

I shall never forget his reaction. He laughed delightedly, congratulated me, then said, of course, “I always knew it.”

His prediction, years before, about my future had been correct so he had my full attention when he said, “Now, girl, I want you to listen real close to what I’m about to say. Revel in the joy of this moment. Memorize it. You may not believe it but there will come a time when this is old hat. Another call from New York. Another book sold. Another best-seller. This is just the beginning.”

I didn’t believe his prediction any more than I had believed his “star” prediction years before. But he was right. Again. There were five more publishing auctions to come, several best-sellers, and this syndicated column that I started so I could write about the thousands of people I met as I traveled through the South on book tours and speaking engagements.

These days, I think often about the first booksellers conference at which I spoke. It was a breakfast in Little Rock, Arkansas, and I was on the agenda with two major authors: E. Lynn Harris, a writer of African-American romance, and artist George Rodrigue, who was promoting a tabletop book about his Blue Dog paintings.

Mr. Harris, a handsome, perfectly- attired man, sat next to me. In a soft voice, he told me that when he was a little boy, he was convinced that God had allotted him a limited number of words. “So, I spoke only when necessary because I didn’t want to use up all my words before I could write books.”

After authoring many best-sellers, he died of a heart attack in a Beverly Hills hotel several years ago. He was 54.

With close to two million words written in the red clay behind me, I have used a gracious plenty of the words that the good Lord allotted me.

I am most grateful for the privilege.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of the new Stella Bankwell Mystery: Sapelo Island. Visit www. rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter.