It's Been One Year...

We were about to go grocery shopping when I saw the mail truck depositing mail in our boxes. The kids got in the car and I picked up the mail. As I walked into the house to leave the mail on the entry table, I sifted through the bills and catalogs. And then I stopped. There was a letter from Cedar Fort.

I wanted it to be good news, but I braced myself so I wouldn't be disappointed.

Yeah, right.

Of course I wanted to be prepared for disappointment, but I couldn't help but be hopeful. I wanted good news so badly.

The first line told me they'd read the book. The second line told me they liked it. Then they told me they'd like to talk to me about making some adjustments so they could publish it. They wanted it and they wanted to talk to me about it.

You might think my first move would be to call immediately and say yes, yes, YES!

I didn't. Instead I ran out to the car, waving the letter in my hand doing a scary and uncoordinated victory dance with my face twisted into a ghastly expression that scared my kids. Once I'd calmed them down and they knew the good news, I called my parents, my sisters and my husband, reading the entire letter aloud to each and every one of them.

Then I went grocery shopping. I had to think and put things into perspective.

What I really had to do was calm down so I could carry on an intelligent conversation with the acquisitions editor. I couldn't run the risk of looking too shocked or worse, insane, to the woman I would soon be working with.

The next day was company Lagoon day. Lagoon is the closest amusement park to where I live. Not the best place for a heart-to-heart with the publisher that was interested in my book. But I did it anyway. Bruce, my 18-year-old son and I left the busy part of the park and found an empty picnic table. It was at that picnic table that I visited with Jennifer for about an hour.

She knew my book. She knew Anna and Kelsey and Susan and Brent. We talked about specific parts of the book, and she knew what was happening almost as well as I did. It was an incredible feeling to have someone I didn't know--that didn't have to be supportive because they love me---know and love my characters and my story. It was a rush!

And now Gifted is in bookstores and on Amazon. Book clubs are reading it. It has it's own webpage. It's been reviewed. I've been interviewed. I've had book signings. People have told me how much they love Anna and Kelsey and Susan and Brent. It's really a dream come true.

Tomorrow is company Lagoon day. And you'd better believe I'll be walking by that picnic table and tossing a prayer of gratitude to heaven.