All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

So I subbed my rejected book yesterday to another publisher and got a fast response. An R & R—revise and resubmit for those new to the term—with the golden words telling me what was wrong with the book. Man, I was so glad to get that email. As I said yesterday, it’s hard for us to see our own mistakes, and I just COULD NOT SEE where that book had gone wrong, although I knew something was off. That’s frustrating, isn’t it? Being in that situation? It’s like: Look, Book, there’s something up with you, and I can’t fix it because I just can’t work out what the deal is.

Well, now I do, thanks to a fabulous editor who, in one sentence, gave me a lightbulb moment. Then, after I replied with my thanks, she followed up on an easy fix—much easier than the difficult overhaul my mind came up with. I tell you, I’ve never understood authors who don’t like outside input on their books. Sometimes I take the harder route on revisions, and if I was stubborn and said, “No, this is MY baby, not yours!” I’d be putting myself through a shitload of extra work next year when I come to revise the book. The editor’s suggestion was so easy, so obvious—damn my blinkers!—that I’ll have the book fixed in no time.

It doesn’t even matter if, when I resubmit, it gets a rejection, because I’d have had the chance to grow and learn some more—something I love about this profession—so the work I’ll be putting in will be well worth my time and effort. But I’m left frustrated at myself because of my failure to SEE. Yes, we get close to our books, I know that, but for God’s SAKE! Why can I see things in other people’s manuscripts yet at times, with mine, I can’t? It bugs the hell out of me.

Still, with valuable people like that editor on the planet, we authors can’t go wrong so long as we take their advice in the spirit it was meant—to help us.

I’m so pleased my book may not end up in a forgotten file. I’ll get Christmas out of the way, hopefully finish my vampire book, and then dig in with revising the story I thought would never see the light of day.

Ah, happy days!

On another subject, but related… Today I received a contract that was a surprise to me because it was electronic. I’ve never had one of those before, and it’s just too cool for words. You get to either have a standard “handwritten” font when you click to sign, or you can sign it yourself using the mouse. It’s so immature of me, but I was well excited by this contract. It’s too groovy, and I hope I’m lucky enough to get more contracts from this publisher just so I can sign my name with my mouse! HA HA!

Yes, I think I need to get out more…

On another fabulous note—man, things are just happening for me at the moment, WOOT!—I have been asked if I would like to create cover art for Total E-Bound. What a lovely thing to be asked. Of course, I can’t say no to that! What more could I ask for? I get to write and also indulge in my other love—Photoshop.

And, you know, sometimes there is someone or something looking out for us. The other day I needed just 50p to put toward my boys’ dinner money. I had the cash in the bank, but I didn’t want to draw out a tenner just for that 50p, because you know how it is, that tenner would have just disappeared once it got into my grubby little hands. I didn’t want to use the remaining £9.50 that would, to be honest, have just been whittled away on stuff like sweets for the kids or a bottle or two of Coke, when it was supposed to be paying some bill or other. And guess what? As I walked along, I’m buggered if there wasn’t a shiny silver 50p on the ground. Usually it’s pennies, or if you’re lucky, a whole 2p (LOL), but that day it was 50p. I wondered, as I am wont to do, about fate and all that jazz, and how things work out in the end if you just have faith, and at the moment I’m inclined to believe that’s true. Okay, there have been times in the past where I’d swear that was bullshit, and I’m sure there will be times in the future I think that too, but d’you know, life is just effing great for me right now, and although part of me thinks “About time too!” (long story…you don’t wanna know!) I am truly grateful for this sudden turn of events.

I’m grateful, humbled, blessed and just so pleased that the “good stuff” is going on.

I hope all good things come to you guys too. That all your dreams and needs are met. That if things have been poo, they pick up 100%. We all deserve some goodness from time to time, eh?

Have a great day, folks!