A few weeks ago (April 10) I was standing in my kitchen, in my pajamas, drinking weak lukewarm coffee and listening to my daughter laughing at an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog (which I later find out is not really appropriate for a 4 year old to watch) when my phone buzzed.
It jittered on the counter. An email.
And it wasn't Living Social ad or a Real Simple blurb.
It was from my agent.
I looked at it and instinctively said, "Shit."
Not because I don't like hearing from my agent. She's great. It's because lately, all I had been hearing was bad news.
But then I looked at the first few words that popped up.
"Mindy, I am very pleased..."
Then I said, "Oh, Shit!"
All right, I'll back up a bit.
About a month or so ago, my agent had told me that Simon Pulse was looking for a writer for a new survival series they were developing, and could I write about 30 pages and a synopsis about teenagers having to survive in a difficult situation, something like Vertical Limit or that story about the guy who gets stuck in a canyon and has to cut his own arm off.
I could make up whatever I wanted.
So I did.
And it was fun to write. Really fun. I immediately liked the characters. I even let Matt read it.
Matt said, "Hey, it's good!"
That means it's good.
Then I sent it to my agent and she really liked it, too. Then she sent it on to Simon & Schuster.
Then I didn't hear anything for a few weeks.
But it turns out they loved it.
And they are going to publish it. Next fall.
And last week I got to speak on the phone with my new editor, Nicole, and she was absolutely nice and wonderful.
But I don't have it written yet. I only had thirty pages.
No problem.
So now I have a book contract and a deadline and it is almost a weird anti-climatic feeling I have been walking around with. I have a 2 book deal with a major publisher.
That is something I have been wanting to say for a very long time.
I've been thinking about it for years.
Planning. Practicing. Doing the things I needed to do. Getting my hopes up. Getting disappointed. Going back and starting over.
I think that was the trick.
Just keep going. Eventually, you'll get somewhere.
But then you find that it wasn't a destination, it was just another door, one I'm very happy to walk through.
And now I'm going to get back to work...
3 comments:
So happy for you, lass! And for me, because I'll be able to buy and read ;-)
I know! I'll send you a signed copy, Tez! All the way to Melbourne
If it's World English Rights, chances are it may be published by S&S down here, too :-)
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