I got an e-mail the other day from an assistant to an editor I subbed to a YEAR AND TWO MONTHS ago, saying “we’re quite impressed by” the manuscript and “is it still available?” Wheeee!
I’d given up hope. I’d told
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just a few weeks ago that I was in mourning, that it hurts so badly to have to write off a submission, sure that you’ll never hear back on it. But I did hear! I did, I did! Just when I’d given up hope.
So now on to the next phase of stressing because the assistant didn’t say they were offering me a contract. My read is that it was more like a preemptive inquiry, just to see if they should even take the time to fully consider it.
So I guess I’ll refrain from sending them my list of possible illustrators for now, right? ; )
In other news, I just completed the ninth revision of a picture book this weekend and sent it to my groupies for crit. (Okay, so they’re not MY groupies. It’s not like they follow me around or anything. More like I beg them to let me hang out with them so I can soak up all their wisdom.)
This is one of those frustrating picture books in rhyme that seemed like a great idea before I started the first draft. But then I wrote it, and it deteriorated into a sort of horrifying child against the sea kind of thing. So by draft number four, the little girl had become a anthropomorphized chicken. (Okay, so I can almost hear you saying this is not a good idea.) By draft number seven, there was lots of chicken humor and a new ending, but still a chicken who got trapped out in the water. I had to come up with a way to make the chicken willingly go in the water and take matters into her own hands. Smart, Savvy Agent liked draft number eight. But I still had a couple of peeps with the rhymes in some of the stanzas. So I plucked, and pruned, and preened and fussed and pecked. And I think my little chick is fully prepared to head out into that wide, wide ocean of submission.
I’ll get back to you when she comes up for air.
Kristy Dempsey 
I should start a business.
Really! And you didn’t even make me pay. How’d you get them to respond anyway? Did you send out your hitmen? Don’t you know someone in Jersey? 😉
I would never make you pay. But I’ll make THEM pay if they don’t acquire this ms.
Sorry–can’t reveal my methods. But it has something to do with Stephen Colbert.
Woo-hoo, Kristy 🙂 Wonderful news…and the chicken story sounds interesting! You’re on a roll 😀
Rolling, rolling, rolling . . .but I don’t know where!
YAY!! Cluck cluck!!!!
Cluck, cluck right back at ya!
OOH! What a great email! Here’s hoping it leads to BIG things. 🙂
Big is all relative. But we’ll see. 🙂
I love hearing about good news. I hope they want it!!
Me too!
Hooray!!!!!
I’m trying not to hold my breath.
This is sounding VERY good!!!!! YAY!!!!
We’ll see!
oooh, good luck! You have so many possibilities out there, I can’t wait to hear all the good news that is surely on its way!
I hope so but I’m reining in my expectations. I’m such a doofus.
Yooray for you, Kristy! A year and two months. Who’s in a hurry anyway, right?
Well if they end up buying it, no big deal, right? 🙂
Spectacular news! It gives all of us hope, helps us believe that we shouldn’t ever give up, ’cause something good could be right around the corner. I can’t wait to see how this all turns out!
Me either!
Yay, Kristy!
Thanks, J. How are you handling the waiting?
Most of the time I’m fine about it. I’m deep into the research for my next one and I’ve been really engaged by that story. But THEN it’ll hit me — like it has the last couple of days — and I’ll really really want to know something. Funny that you asked today! Cuz I just posted something on VK looking for agent-to-pub info — just a way to feed my obsession, really. I’m sure the obsessiveness will wane soon, tho.
I’m very excited for you, Kristy. You have a lot of good things happening.
Oh, for me the obsessiveness just comes in fits and spurts. It’s unavoidable, I think. I’m mostly doing okay. But there are days . . . :-0
I think as you get closer, it must actually get worse. So for you, I’m sure it’s intense right now. Good things will happen for you, I know it — it’s just the “when?” now. And that can drive ya crazy. Stay sane over there in Brazil land. 🙂
YOU!
You were the one with news that I half-read, but didn’t have time to reply to because what is happening to my life, Kristy? WHAT??
Aaaaa.
YAY for the request and the being “quite impressed.” Hey, I rhymed. I’m gonna start writing pbs.
Re: YOU!
It’s okay to only half-read my news because it’s only half-newsworthy. It’s not as if I’ve sold a book. Man, I wish I could announce that I’ve sold a book. I wish YOU could announce you’ve sold a book.
For now I’ll just post my half-news whenever it comes along. 😦 or 🙂 whichever.
If you call it Chicken of the Sea, you’d better make clear that it’s tuna.
Congratulations on the sale! I checked out the post for inspiration because I’m fast approaching a year and have heard nothing, despite SASE.
Good luck! It’s so hard to wait.