So, I just wanted to write a quick post. I know it seems as if I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth these days, and in a way, I have. I’ve been in Idaho all week visiting family. It’s the second week this summer that I have spent here and I am loving the simple, quiet small town lifestyle. I grew up in Driggs, and while I have no desire to live here (I couldn’t get out of here quick enough once I graduated), it is a very, very lovely place to visit.
My children spend their hours playing and jumping on the trampoline–just as I did as a child. As for me, I putter around, writing snippets, reading books and breathing in the delicious mountain air. My soul is soothed by the peaceful, laid-back environment and I love the fact that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING is going on. Plus, my little nephew is here and he is a seven month old baby delight of which I must regularly partake. I can cuddle that boy to my hearts content and that makes me very, very happy.
One other thing that I love about being here: feeling the past. I love to think of how insecure as a child I felt about the future. Now that the future is here, I have to say, I am MOST delighted at how my life is turning out. What more could one ask for?
I can’t live like this every day. I would go insane! But, what a delightful break.
Update on my book: Revisions are almost complete! Whew! I’ve complete rewritten the ending and revised my brains out! I should be ready to send my MS back to my agent by August!
Update on my schooling: Just finished my poetry mid-term. Three and one-half classed to go until my degree is complete!!!
I know I broke the news over on facebook. But, since you are not all on facebook (You could be. You could be my friend, unless you are creepy, then you cannot.), I can give you all of the juicy details about my latest news here.
I am so pleased to announced that I am now officially agented by the amazing Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. (Pausing here for applause. Thank you. You are too, too kind. Thank you.)
I was first impressed with Steven last fall when I signed up for a pitch session at an SCBWI Conference in Salt Lake City. It came about as a last minute thing: I thought I wouldn’t be able to attend the conference, but when my schedule opened up, I was able to send Sydney Salter my first ten pages with only minutes to spare. (It really helps to have friends in high places–Sydney, who I am lucky to be in a writing group with, was also in charge of the conference. Moral of this story? Network. And writers are nice people.) She said my writing was good enough to be put in the agent pile (I hoped she wasn’t just doing because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.) and sent it off to Steven–which I promptly forgot about. Hey, I had A LOT on my plate at the time.
When conference time came I remember two things distinctly: the unreasonable amount of nervousness that nearly paralyzed me and a sinking feeling that he wouldn’t like my book. You see, I had no excuse for the nerves–this was not my first pitch session, but the sinking feeling was a result from sitting in on his presentation that took place just before lunch and my pitch session. He seemed very competent, knowledgeable, and even dreamy as far as agents go, but (and that is a big but) he had no interest in fantasy. And I imagined myself standing in my underwear with a fairytale in my hands. My novel is not high fantasy. It’s a sleeping beauty story with all the fantastical elements of a fairy tale: witches, sleeping potions, and magic–but no dragons. I can’t do dragons. (Why didn’t I do my homework and see what he liked beforehand?!) Read more…