On Today's Menu -- Hamburgers, Sweet Corn, Potato Salad, Tomatoes with Mozzerella and Basil, and Sweet Iced Tea (It's 80 here today. Feels like summer. I want summer food.)
Well, my darlings, how are you all? I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. You know why? Well, let me tell you.
I sent off my first batch of queries for MisMATCHED on April 1. Fifteen all total. By April 7, I had eight rejections. Yeah, pretty bummed about that. Actually, really really really bummed about that. I cried a lot. Ate way too much chocolate. Drowned myself in Vermont Ice Cream. Also had a nasty sinus infection and spent a lot of last week in bed. And, after the first day of lawn mowing at both my mother's and my own house, I wasn't really walking all that well either.
So with all that going on, you know what I wanted to do? Throw in the towel. Yup, give it all up and go work at Bubba's B-B-Q. Yeah, I know, how depressing is that.
Well, after a few days on antibiotics, I bit the bullet and sent out eight more queries on April 11. (Yeah, I don't know what it was about the 1's.)
Lo and behold on April 12, I saw this in my inbox thingie. "Your project sounds interesting..." I looked at the sender name. It was from one of my all time fave agents. The only problem was, I hadn't queried her. She was closed (still is) to submissions. Yeah, how crazy was that?
So I opened up the email and read further... "Your project sounds interesting, and I would love to take a look at REMEMBERING YOU."
WHAT???!!!!
I had completely forgotten I still had queries out on this. The last batch was sent on Feb. 1. (Again with the 1's.) Believe me, I was STUNNED. I had totally written off that book. But there it was. In black and white. She wanted a partial, (50 pages + synopsis). I hadn't looked at it for soooo long, which I think was a good thing, because for the remainder of that day, I went over everything, four-hundred-eighty-seven times, made sure it all made sense. Fixed the chapter titles, (which had been bothering me for a loooong time and couldn't figure out what to do with them), fixed the synopsis, (because that, my friends, was a formatting nightmare), and really tried to make it all nice and shiny.
I sent it out that same night and have been sitting on it since Tuesday. I needed to calm down before I told you, and I'm still not sure if I should, (don't want to jinx myself) but, you guys are my friends and I wanted to celebrate.
And I know, man, how crazy is that, of all things, REMEMBERING YOU. Still is blowing my mind. So even though she said she would probably take three months to get back to me (July!!!!) I check my email 5 times a day. (Which is still better than 12.)
And so hey, after all that slobbering and blubbering and chocolate eating, I can proudly say, "I'm better than I used to be." Actually, I think I might be on top of the world. And I promise, if she rejects me, I'll still be better than I used to be because, she gave me back my HOPE. And I don't have to work at Bubba's. Yet.
Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be weed wacking and waiting for the tornadoes. Yee hah!
38 comments:
That's awesome! You've got to love those surprise request!
This is so awesome. I'm convinced that just when we give up or write something off--something happens. Don't hold me to that, but it seems that way.
Great news and keep me posted.
So happy for you.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura and Christine -- Thanks so much. Surprise! Talk about flooring me. And I agree Christine, it does seem when we give up, something else happens. Have a great weekend.
Congrats, Anne! Good thing you checked otherwise you could have sent her the wrong one.
oh, those feel good don't they!!? I wish you a very POSITIVE response on this. The waiting sucks but at least you feel like you gotta finger in the door right? All my partial requests with the exception of one, have gone kaput.
Yay! Congrats on the request! Feels good, doesn't it? It's great how life will sometimes send a reminder of why it's important to "keep on keeping on" just when we need it. Persistence pays. :)
Wow, congrats!!! Requests always feel good, especially when you've forgotten about a query or two. ;-)
~JD
Stina -- It was totally mind blowing because I really wanted to send her MisMatched and I couldn't. Then when I saw her name I was like what is going on.
Katie -- That's why I gave up on this. Everything came back rejected. This is so out of the blue, freaky.
Linda -- Keep on Keepin On. It's way better than Bubba's.
Justine -- Yeah. I forget a LOT, obviously.
Great news, Anne! I'm crossing everything that sticks out on my body unit for ya! Which means I'll need to stay away from weed whackers...
Seriously, this is great, great news!
CONGRATULATIONS ANNE! I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed and sending out "YES" vibes. So often it is when we forget and/or let go that what we want comes our way.
Yay! This story is a good reminder that there is always hope, even when we forget.
yay! Great news! I'll be crossing my fingers that that partial turns into a full request!
Les -- Thanks so much. I need all the positive vibes I can get.
Bish -- If you love something, set it free... and all that. We'll see what happens. Of course I might be completely insane by July.
Liza -- HOPE. I don't know how I could have forgotten about that. I think it was the sinus infection. I went down hard this time, made everything 10 x's worse.
Sarah -- From your lips to the Agent Gods ears.
Yeah, watch those darned tornados. They keep getting too close to my backyard.
Congrats Anne! I'm so excited for you! Goes to show you that even though we lose faith in some of our projects, they speak for themselves.
Such good news!!!! I think it was all the junk food that helped to move the universe your way.
Thanks for lunch!!
Lydia -- Thank you for the lovely words. "...our projects speak for themselves." That's really cool. Thanks.
Betty -- You think so. I only indulge when I'm totally depressed. You think it would help if I did it more often. Of course I'd weigh eight thousand pounds. And you're welcome for lunch.
Congratulations! I agree with Christine. I believe when we let go of something, it allows it to go where it needs to, othewise it stays tied to us and does not grow (similar to letting go of our children).
YAY!!! Congratulations!!!! :) This is so exciting. I know how you feel with the rejections, but partial requests just make everything worth it. :) *throws lots of confetti* :) Keep us updated!
Congratualtions, Anne! You are amazing!
Anne,
That's great news! I hope that in July--or maybe even June--that agent emails you or calls you w/ an offer to represent you.
Then you can have some chocolate to celebrate! :)
Hi there. I mostly lurk your blog but wanted to say congrats! That is very exciting news.
Good luck with the latest batch of queries as well. :)
Anne, that is awesome!!! Wow, what a bolt out of the blue. Glad she recognized your awesome writing skills.
This is absolutely fantabulous news. A victory of sorts, and I say, celebrate your victory. Get some watermelon to go with those burgers!
Ha! Just goes to show how crazy this biz is! I've gotten responses a year later (no requests after the first few weeks, though). Good for you, and best wishes on it! :)
Lynn -- That's why last year I learned to dump all the rejects out of my query box. Less stress I had to hold on to. Also, so it wouldn't infect the others. hahah
Melody -- Thanks so much. It's a long way til July and I've got a lot to keep me busy. But you'll be the first to know.
Natascha -- Thanks. Amazing, no, angst ridden, yes.
Lisa -- I wish she'd offer on a partial but I think this may either be a long drawn out full, or a quick reject. Either way, it snapped me out of my fit of despair.
Elle -- Thanks for coming out in the open for this. Glad you stopped by. And thanks for luck on the others. I need all I can get.
Alex -- Thanks, man. We'll see what she thinks of my writing. The other agent didn't care for it. We'll see. Gotta keep my feet firmly on the ground for this.
Susan -- OMG. I can't believe I forgot the watermelon. How stupid am I???
Bridget -- Thanks. Crazy nuts this business. One second you're ready to scream, the next minute for a different reason entirely.
Yaaaaaaay!!! That is so exciting! What a wonderful surprise to get. It really did work out perfectly that you were able to come at it fresh for the polishing too.
And 80 degrees to boot. Enjoy that delicious dinner. :)
Nicki -- Oh I polished all right. And now I'm working on the ms. Just going through one last time to make sure all the nasties are out of it.
Those are the responses that keep a writer writing! Hooray for you. Enjoy the fact that you got this far. And here hoping (fingers tightly crossed) that the response is positive. I would be so, so happy for you.
Sorry you've been ill. Yes, here too, in Northern Virginia, the days are getting warmer, though we've only had two days so far in the 80s and now it's down again in the 60s. Don't want the 80 degrees yet!
Just treat yourself with your favorite food, and bask in the glow.
Ann Carbine Best’s Long Journey Home
Big happy grin and mental hand clapping!!!! Yay for unexpected presents!!!
I'm really glad you have Hope back :)
Wow! That's so fantastic, Anne! Isn't it lovely when good things happen when we're least expecting them?
Have a great weekend!
Ann -- I do love to bask, so maybe I'll take the weekend off and do that. Thanks.
Becky -- It's good to have her back. I was really worried I'd lost her for good.
Talli -- Crazy stuff. Now if I can keep my head on straight until I hear back from her.
Congrats Anne! I hope you get accepted with this one. Such a great surprise for your e-mail.
BTW: I read your story Who Are You in Notes.
Seriously loved the story. The intensity it began with carried all the way through the story. I felt like crying for him at the end when his true identity was revealed.
I could envision the world as he saw it; including the gaps, the logical explanations. His character was so vivid, real. Everyone's sympathies reached out to me, drew me into the fantasy.
A captivating story from first word to last sentence.
........dhole
What a cool happening here at the Piedmont! Good luck with it.
Donna -- Thanks Donna. Your words mean a lot. I'm humbled.
Yvonne -- Thanks so much. Lovely note as well. Thanks for that.
...excellent! Congratulations Anne:)
EL
If you ever go work at Bubba's without even talking to me first about your sad state, I will not be very happy with you. >:(
That said, I just want you to know that I'm very excited for this new step and you're renewed hope. We all get rejections - even those of us who have supposedly reached great heights. It's an ongoing thing and something that keeps us on our toes, I think. My fingers are crossed for you. :)
El -- Thanks man!
Glamaliscious -- Believe me, if I ever get that low again, I will email. It was just a combination of so many things wearing on me at the same time.
I hope it works out. I still think it's a great story. I mean, I like it. If she rejects me, it won't be until June or July so I have a couple of months to bask in the request. That will get me through my revisions of Masquerade. That's all I need right? Just a few months.
Post a Comment