Oh My Gosh, You Guys! Guess What???

I’m getting published! For real, for real! As of Thursday, I can finally say that. Do you know what it’s like to keep exciting news to yourself for nearly a year? Let me tell you. It’s hard.

Ten months ago I was contacted by an editor at HarperCollins Publishing about my book, Sweet Evil (titled Angel Prophecy at the time). The editor had read my manuscript after making it to the top five on inkpop.com, a website run by HarperCollins, geared toward readers and writers of Young Adult Literature.

When I was contacted, nobody told me not to say anything. My first instinct was to sprint to the inkpop forums and cyber-scream, “OhMyGoshYouGuys!GuessWhat???” but something told me I better not. Possibly the fact that there was no contract offered at that point…and how embarrassing would that have been? I told a couple of very close writer friends who’d beta read my story at several stages, and I knew I could trust them with my secret. When the offer did come, it came with the request to keep quiet until they decided on an opportune time to announce, and I respected that. But in the meantime, something funny happened. I met Leigh Fallon.

I was invited by Kelley Vitollo to start a group blog, our own YAtopia. While brainstorming other possible contributors, we knew Sharon Johnston and Leigh Fallon were active on their own personal blogs, and they both agreed to join. We did the cursory get-to-know you questions, and I noticed Leigh’s statements about her status in the publication process were very vague. We knew she’d had an agent for some time, and she claimed to have “promising prospects,” *wink, wink*, which was exactly what I was telling people. I knew from buzz on inkpop, and an offhand comment from my editor, that there was an inkpop book acquisitioned before mine. So, naturally, I became suspicious and put on my hound dog nose to snoop.

After some back and forth emails, without ever mentioning inkpop or HarperCollins, Leigh Fallon and I totally figured one another out! We were like giddy school girls at that point. Finally, we weren’t alone! We had someone who could truly understand how it felt to be in that silent debut author place. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but agents and editors simply don’t have time to coddle new authors and give us constant updates and reassurances. Leigh came along at the exact time when I really needed a big sister to hold my hand and walk with me. Because, as strange as it might sound, achieving such a far-fetched dream is a scary place to be. And earning publication through a non-traditional means makes it even more frightening.

I had not expected my insecurities as a writer to increase after getting a contract. There are so many things I didn’t anticipate about the publishing world. Maybe someday I’ll expand, but for now I just want to thank Leigh for graciously answering countless questions, making me laugh, and being a strong sounding board these past six months. I would say it was a crazy coincidence that she and I met through this blog while we were both under a gag-order, but after so many “coincidences” in my life, I’ve stopped believing in them. J

(My apologies if I don't respond to your comments until late in the day. I'm traveling from Texas to Virginia today.)