So I’ve been deeply immersed in rewriting the new book, coming up every so often for air, the occasional pretzel and peanut butter sandwich, and to spend time with my children. Then this morning, out of the blue, my agent calls.

“The editor at Random House wants to have a three way tele-conference with you tomorrow. Are you free?”

Huh? Wuzzat? 

“For your series proposal,” she says patiently. “The one we submitted a few months ago? For little kids?”

I get up from my desk. Walk downstairs. Step over the cat, and then turn around and walk back up. Sit down in my chair. Months ago? That is agent/editor/literary speak for half a year ago. Try November. Or December even, when we got a few disinterested passes. It’s been so long, I’d forgotten it was even out there. I forgot I even wrote the damn thing!  And now the editor at Random House wants to talk to me about writing a series for them? For real?

“Cecilia?” I hear my name on the other end of the line. “Are you free tomorrow? Can I set something up?”

“Yes!”  I get up again, start pacing. “What do they want to talk about? Is it good? Do they think it’s good? Do you think they want it? Do you think they’ll make an offer?”

(I always picture my agent at this part of our discussions quietly placing her own phone down while I go on one of these rants and making herself something to eat. It’s like someone has pulled a plug inside my head, turned a light on; I go from speechless to yammering in two seconds flat.)

 After a minute (or two) I settle back down, take a breath. And then she says: “I honestly don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see.”

I open and close my mouth with a fish. Little whimpering sounds drift out and then fade like bubbles in front of me. I have to wait? A whole day? Just to find out if they even want it?

“Yes,” my agent says. “And you’ll be fine.” (She says this a lot to me, too.)

So that’s where I am tonight. Sitting on the edge of my chair, trying to work on Chapter 23 of the new book, while half of my brain is out there, wandering around in Random House Land. I don’t have any choice but to sit back, do the work, and wait. Tomorrow at one o’clock, I’ll know more. And when I do, so will you.

In the meantime, onward! Always!

CG 

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