Stranded during a blizzard with nothing to read, Roberts amused herself by writing down one of the stories in her head. After developing her idea into a novel-length contemporary romance, she continued writing and soon finished six more manuscripts.[1][2] Roberts submitted her work to Harlequin Enterprises, a Canadian company considered the foremost publisher of romance novels in North America.[2] Harlequin typically published works by British authors set in the British Commonwealth, but in 1975 Harlequin relaxed its criteria slightly and purchased several novels from American Janet Dailey.[3] Unconvinced that the market would appreciate novels such as Dailey's – all featuring American protagonists and set in the United States – Harlequin was unwilling to further expose itself to risk. As a result, the company quickly rejected Roberts's work; one editor explained that "they already had their American writer."[4]