Agent Rejection Sting # 1

Yes, it happened. And yes, I can now write about it, but the sting is still there.

Agent #1 turned down my hen lit. It was a form letter...no suggestions...no encouragement...no words to help me come down from the fall. Just a standard form letter. And what was weird was, a friend of mine got the same rejection (on the same day, same hour, same few minutes in fact), only the name of the book and our names were changed. And this is coming from one of my dream agents.

So, I pined for two days.

But you know what was funny? After that sting, I threw myself into finding promotional outlets for ROMANCING THE SOUL. I submitted my relationship column to even more websites. I even sent an article that I had submitted to Arabella, now defunct, to a paying market.

I also got to thinking about finding my author platform. I thought maybe I should dive headfirst into my relationship advice column, "Ask Dorothy." Even to the point of changing the name - making it flashier - and setting up a website for it.

I was on a roll.

It reminded me of the time when my twin soul died. I was at the computer and someone walked in and told me. I sat there numb. The mouse was in my hand and never left it. Instead of breaking down, I kept on, kept going, kept working...more vigilantly than before. Of course, I ended up breaking down, grieving, but I did it with the mouse in my hand.

There is a movie called "Sleepless in Seattle" (which incidentally is a great twin soul story) and at the beginning of the movie, we find that Tom Hank's wife had died and when he finds out, he dives into work. Same principle.

I think that work helps you to forget. Takes your mind off of it...helps you to forget the STING.

Anyway, after Agent # 1's sting, I queried Agent #3. I think. I'm losing count. Maybe it's 4. Arggg.

And, I dived into finding more ways to promote my first book...the book that means more than life itself. I guess. Do all authors think that way?

So, that's where I'm at right now. I won't give up on the hen lit, but meanwhile I'm going to work. Work my little toosh off. Develop my author platform. Write more columns. Forget.

It's all part of the game. If getting published with a NY house was easy, then everyone would be there. It's only for the dedicated. Only the strongest survive. And I'm not giving up without a fight.

Dragged Out of Blog Lurkdom

Thanks to Kathy Holmes, one of my good friends and hen lit blogger, I've been dragged out of blog lurkdom. Thanks for your kind note, Kathy...;o)

My insides are still in turmoil, but I'm still working...albeit a little silent in the groups and elsewhere. I tend to be an introvert and retreat inside myself when this happens and that's the reason for the silence.

Meanwhile, I've been sending out columns and I've submitted to a paying mag for a relationship article I had with Arabella, a year before they even shut down. It was just sitting, collecting dust, and it was a really good article if I say so myself so no need of letting it go to waste.

I also got a wonderful review from Larry James for ROMANCING THE SOUL...

"This book will touch your heart, bring tears to your eyes and a smile
to your face. Explore all the soulmate possibilities as you experience
what others have when they discovered the spiritual connection that changed
their life and their relationship.
An excellent read!"
- Larry James, CelebrateLove.com, Author, "How to Really Love the One You're With"

He's such a love! He even put my book in his bookstore, along with other great relationship authors...really nice.

As for my other books, I'm still waiting on news from the agent. I've sent out other queries, but this particular agent is the one I'm hoping for. It's not been two months yet, so I feel that I don't have to jump off the nearest bridge just yet. JUST JOKING.

The how to book for first time writers is coming along. I've missed my deadline and I'm sure my publisher is screaming...I'll have to drop her a little note. This book has become more than just a whim at this point and I really want to put my all in it. When I do that, I tend to take my time, but I guess the publishing world doesn't want to hear that. I've gotten great responses from best selling authors, not to mention Dan Poynter. What a doll he is.

Anyway, I'm still alive...some days good some days downright frustrating....just another adventure in the life of an over the hill chick. ;o)

Mama Told Me There'd Be Days Like This...

Yeah, right.

Mama never warned me about this, I'll guarantee you that. See, my dear Mother, God rest her soul, died before she had to go through the inevitable - THE CHANGE.



Eek, I hate it!

I have vowed to stay off all writing groups until this passes. An ocassional comment in a blog as long as I don't go over a sentence or two might be all right and that would satisfy whatever need I might have to communicate with the rest of the world.

For now, I'm mum. Not saying a darn thing. Shouldn't even post in here because people are going to think I'm totally whacko.

I'm usually quite bright...or at least I thought so. I could write articles, columns, books and that ol' brain of mine would kick right in and help me out. Not so now. My brain is on a never ending journey to senility and there's no let up.

Okay, so I cancelled the last two appointments to go to the doctor to get help for this. But, I wanted to go SHOPPING. And it was so much fun. But, I'm paying the pauper now, that's for dang sure, more ways than one.

So, anyway, if you don't hear from me for a few days, a few years or however long it takes me to return to my lovable, sweet self, stay tuned...there ought to be a hormonal change coming up sometime unless I end up in the loonie bin first. But, I don't think they have computers there, do they?

Chicklet Lit?

Natasha Walter totally disses on yet another sub-genre of chick lit (I'm thinking there must be a million of them because this one is new to me) - chicklet lit - in an article today called, "In the world of Princess Perfect, boys aren't welcome" in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Can someone explain to me just exactly what this is?

She says,

This is chick lit for the under-12s: chicklet lit, you could call
it.

Chicklet lit is a boom area. It starts with tales for teeny girls, and in a
way these are just traditional stories about fairies and ballerinas, but they
have a twist: the heroines have to keep being reminded to put on pretty clothes
and do their hair nicely, and the story has to end with a lovely party. Once I
started reading them, I realised I'd never met such boring fairies. Even
Tinkerbell was stroppy, while E. Nesbit's sand-fairy was positively grumpy and
unpredictable.

But these fairies just twitter about how pretty their knickers are, how
nice their perfume is and what fun they are going to have at the party. When
human girls get into fairyland, it's all about makeovers rather than magic.

The book she is referring to is FAIRYDUST by Gwyneth Reese. Here's the pretty cover:



Actually, it does look quite chick lit'ish, doesn't it?

Why don't people realize that chick lit is evolving from this mindset and is more about women finding themselves than how pretty they are?

It might just be me. Maybe I haven't read enough chick lit to be an expert, but frankly I don't think those kind of books could keep my interest. And that's exactly what chick lit writers today know and that is the very reason why they are struggling to get away from this image. And I predict that as time goes on, we are going to see more of these stories where the protags don't give a rip about which designer shoes they wear. And that to me is when chick lit is going to boom. I can say this because I just so happen to write hen lit - yet another chick lit sub-genre.