June 10, 2004

Cydney Rax had a story to tell.

Rax, an administrative assistant for the University of Houston’s facilities planning department, decided not to keep this tale locked away in her imagination. Instead, she chose to release her ideas and characters onto the pages of a novel.

Rax’s first book, “My Daughter’s Boyfriend,” hits bookstores this week and she soon will embark on a short tour to promote it. For the author, the book’s release marks another step in a creative journey that’s been inspirational and at times, frustrating.

“It’s been difficult,” Rax said. “But, despite rejections from editors and much waiting, I persevered.”

Rax began writing “My Daughter’s Boyfriend” in 1999. Oddly enough, the story of an affair between a UH staff member and her daughter’s suitor came to her five years ago while she waited for her son to finish watching a “Pokemon” film.

“I took my son to the movies,” she said. “While he went in the theater to watch ‘Pokemon,’ I sat in the lobby and started writing in my notebook. This story just came to me.”

Rax began developing her story into a book. She wrote before and after work, as well as on weekends. To bolster her writing skills, she enrolled in creative writing classes at Houston Community College. She also attended book signings to approach published authors and ask advice.

In late 2000, she finished the book and began the arduous task of finding a literary agent to help secure a publishing deal. Months later, a fellow writer referred her to an agent who liked Rax’s material.

After several editors rejected her manuscript, Rax sent it to Trisha R. Thomas, author of “Nappily Ever After.” Thomas referred it to her editor and in May 2002, Rax signed a deal with Crown Publishing.

“If you educate yourself about the publishing industry, you’ll learn that rejection is standard,” she said. “People who were rejected 50 or 100 times have gone on to make the New York Times Best Sellers List. What writers try to do is find a publisher or editor who is a perfect match for their work. I’m very fortunate that I was able to locate that match for my book.”

The mature themes of “My Daughter’s Boyfriend” explore a mother-daughter relationship, as well as a taboo romance between an older woman and younger man. Rax said that both men and women have responded positively to the story.

“Different people have gotten different things out of the book,” she said. “Some of the males who have read the book laughed and were touched by parts of the story. They also found themselves rooting for the mother and boyfriend.”

Wasting no time, Rax already has begun work on her next book, “My Husband’s Girlfriend,” which will be released by Crown Publishing next year. She said that an independent television producer is reading the story and there is the possibility it will be adapted for Lifetime Television.

For Rax, the release of “My Daughter’s Boyfriend” marks the end of her literary rites of passage and the start of a new part-time career as an author. The key to fulfilling this longtime dream was from a belief in herself and in her dreams.

“I’d walk into bookstores or libraries and tell myself that my book was going to be on the shelves,” she said. “The rejection hurt at first, but it made me more determined, and eventually that determination paid off. I just had to believe in myself and believe that I was meant to write.”

For more information on Cydney Rax and her writing, visit http://www.booksbycydney.com/index.html.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu