Happy Holihayes

I'm so cheating.

I'm reposting a blog post from my personal blog. Sshhhh. Don't tell the other 'Nistas. But it's a really happy post, so I'm hoping they'll notice.

Ready?

One of the hardest parts of my chosen career is rejection. Seriously, it's everywhere and you have to learn how to deal with it without letting it crush your spirit or you will stop submitting. And then you'll never get your contract and you will also have a crushed spirit. Sort of a lose/lose scenario that.

So, I wrote wrote wrote and then queried queried queried. I got a lot of "No thank yous". I got a lot of unanswered emails too. Neither felt good, but I kept reminding myself that it wasn't personal. I just had to find the agent that was mine.

And when I met her, she tornado-ed through my life and manuscript (in a good way )and--in less than three months--she matched me to a sale. A two-book sale. With Penguin Books. No,really. WE SOLD FALLING UNDER!

I've had to sit on my news for almost a week. It darn near killed me. I'm so excited. My editor, the amazing Anne Sowards, is lovely. I can't wait for revisions--I'm sure she'll remind me I said that when I get them.

It looks like we'll release my debut YA in the Spring/Summer of 2011. Can you believe it? I know I have my friends and family to thank. Well, and Jessica Sinsheimer, of course. Thank you for keeping my spirit in tact. Thank you, also, to the many wonderful agents and editors I've come across during my quest. Even though you weren't "mine", I've learned so much from your Tweets, blogs, workshops, and yes--even your rejections.

Happy Holihayes everyone!