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.