Disappointing.....but encouraging news at the same time?

So, I wrote a silly fun romancy type novel a few years ago. (Not the heaving bosoms type....... just to let some of you know in case you were worried.) What type did I write?

Have you've ever perused an LDS bookstore and discovered the fiction aisle of LDS novels....that's where I want to be....that's what I am aiming for. It's my absolute dream to walk into a Deseret or Seagull bookstore to see my very own story with some sweet eye catching book cover. I only can dream so far, but at the gentle insistence of my husband, he encouraged me to send my manuscript in. There's not that many LDS publishers. I've sent it to two so far. The first one sent me a letter just a few weeks later notifying me that they don't do novels like mine...so it wasn't' really a rejection. The second one I've sent to is Deseret Book. They contacted me, letting me know that they received my manuscript and that I should hear back from them in about 8-9 weeks.

Well, I waited patiently as 8 weeks came around, and then week 9, 10,11,12. I just wanted to hurry up and get the rejection letter as soon as possible, so that I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Now I'm not a dumb starry eyed person, rather I am quite realistic to a stubborn point. I know my chances for being published.....and they are so small that its hardly a number worth mentioning. I would never compare myself to other authors that I read and admire, and I couldn't help but read about how they got rejected many many times before they finally got a book published. This made me feel quite small....that I had no chance. Because they can actually write a fantastic story. To sum everything up...I knew I'd get rejected, because real writers got rejected, and I don't know that I'll ever be a published author.

As the weeks went by, I secretly (well actually it wasn't that secret) hoped that things were taking a long time because they were actually pouring over my manuscript and giving it a fair shot. If I got a letter back very quickly, it would mean that they hated it immediately upon reading the first page and quickly tossed it aside.

Well, I finally got it! Yeah! Now the big but very expected news is that I got rejected. The encouraging news is in what they said. They of course said...we've completed our review of your book...blah blah blah...it is obvious you have invested a considerable amount of time and energy into this project...blah blah blah...our publishing schedule is quite competitive, and we are forced to be extremely selective.....and we already have a full slate of LDS romance fiction... ...they decided not to pursue my project at this time.................but the cool thing that they said is that it came very close to being selected. They apologized for the delay in replying back, but that was because of how far in the process my manuscript went (as well as some sickness in the publishing depart). I'd like to think that its was mostly because of my book. :)

I'm probably making too big of a deal about this, but the way they worded things, they made it sound like my manuscript was actually considered. My very first novel was possibly good enough to be considered? I just want to feel that I didn't write a piece of crap, and they made me feel that it wasn't. How cool is that? I have two other publishers on my list that I will send out to soon. It's just a hard process, because they all want things submitted differently. Not only do you have to write a novel well, but you have to make cover letters and other things that will catch their attention and make them want to read your novel. Its really hard to sum up your story in 3 paragraphs...and make it so excellent that they get excited to read further. That is where I get stumped. I can write a 450 page novel easily, but I struggle to write three measly paragraphs for a query letter.

I don't expect my first novel to actually get published. I just got excited that they said they actually considered it. Maybe I'll attempt to write a much better story later on down the road. (When I'm not too busy) Which will never happen. I wrote this novel while Chase napped. He would nap an average of three hours a day, and I was able to write a lot then. Logan is not a good napper. He's horrible at sleep in general...which is why I have huge dark baggy circles under my eyes. He does not give me enough time to write. I don't know when I'll write again...but I love it...and if I never get published...oh well...I have so much fun writing anyway!

For those of you who actually read this ridiculously long entry....I apologize for rambling.

Poor Chase has had a rough week. We think he's had salmonella poisoning, and of course its most likely my fault. (I'm more often a bad mommy than a good one). I'm pretty sure it was an incident on Saturday that had to do with eggs. For the hundredth time, Chase got into the fridge, wanting to see if the eggs had birdies in them. Naturally, I've tried to explain that we buy non-birdy eggs, but he still likes to check...just in case mom slipped up just once. This checking process usually results in him losing his grip on the egg carton as the eggs come crashing to the floor. Its happens a lot...so often that I finally keep my cool about it. As they cracked all over my newly mopped floor (of course) Logan just happened to see the fun and came running into the kitchen to play in the slime. I got worried about him getting egg on his hands, so I was busting my tail to wipe up the mess while keeping Logan at bay with my leg. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Chase had grabbed the paper towels and was helping me clean up the goobery mess. To Chase's misfortune, he dashed out of the kitchen quickly, erasing his memory from my mind briefly as I washed my hands, feeling proud to have kept Logan clean.

I think that Chase probably had eggs on his hands and did not wash them.

Well...the next day, Chase woke up at 3 am with throw up all over his bed...and the throw up continued for four days...mixed in with lots and lots and lots of diarrhea. So much diarrhea... oh it was gross. I tried to convince him to wear some old pull up diapers from the good old days, but he refused saying that he couldn't wear a diaper because he was a big boy and not a little baby. He made a big fuss about it, so I settled for washing about twelve pairs of underwear a day.

Salmonella last for 4-7 days and its now day five. Chase finally seems normal now. I don't wish that torture upon...too many people. I wonder if Chase will ever eat eggs again??????

Brother Hugs

I might be biased, but isn't he cute?

Sometimes I feel quite outnumbered in the testosterone department, but its pictures like this that make me forget for just a moment that its ok.

That is a huge bug Logan is examining. Ewww

Yes, Chase just happens to be running around with scissors. I caught him outside cutting the leaves off the trees. I wonder where he got that from.