Inspiration Monday: I Got An Agent!!!

I have been dreaming of writing this post for nearly four years! And the day has come. Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I am officially represented by the fabulous Sarah Davies of the Greehouse Literary Agency. It's true! I may be a no-good, lying/lawyering B-Word, but I'm not even lying about this one!

Thrilled doesn't begin to describe how I feel about this turn of events in my life. And though I am filled with excitement and enthusiasm, I am equally consumed with gratitude.

I won't bore you with my whole sordid story of how I kidnapped Sarah and held her at gunpoint until she offered representation, but I would like to share the more inspirational parts of the journey of how I got here.

Back in May I went to the Storymakers Conference. In some ways, the conference was awesome. After all, I got a couple of full requests from agents. Yet in other ways, it felt like a disaster, partly one of my own making. Basically I had a misunderstanding with an agent, and 1) it blew up at the conference, and then 2) went viral thereafter. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was cut out for writing.

But then...I got over it. Just like all us writers--we have to get over stuff. Over rejection, disappointment, occasional humiliation, whatever. It makes us stronger. Opens up doors and all that B-crap!

A week after the conference, I sucked it up and sent out my full manuscript to the requesting agents. At the same time, I sent some queries to my dream agents. I heard back from a few of them fairly quickly, but not all with the news I wanted. Several of them asked me to "Revise & Resubmit" with varying degrees of revisions. One of them actually offered lengthy feedback on what she would like to see me work on. That particular agent happened to be Miss Sarah Davies. But the problem was: the revisions were going to be HARD! Again, (for the thousandth time) I wondered if I was cut out for the writing gig.

It literally took me over three months, an ENTIRE summer of slaving over my manuscript and begging critique partners/beta readers to help me on short notice, to accomplish a decent re-write. If it wasn't for the pool, beach, or mountains with friends and family (and copious amounts of Diet Coke), I would've been severely depressed. So then, I sent it back out. When the agents received it after all that time, they replied with surprise! Pleasant surprise. Maybe they figured I'd given up. Maybe they were shocked that I hadn't stepped into moving traffic over the rewrite! Who knows. As I waited for them to read it, I queried some more. Actually, I queried my guts out!

I was sweating the wait. I think I might have become so stiff that I actually popped one of my own ribs out of place! Seriously. Chiropractic visits and Pilates sessions have been scheduled. (Maybe even some psychotherapy appointments should be made too).

But then, one shining morning, an offer of representation came. And then multiple offers of representation came. One of those offers came from Sarah Davies (the one agent I had worked so hard to please)! But this is the thing: I had to work really hard to get her. She didn't just snap me up an hour after she read my full. She worked with me patiently until she felt like it was the right time to offer.

I'm pretty sure I still have my work cut out for me, and that my writing journey will still be a long and winding path, but I have never felt so thrilled to be here. Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I celebrated by signing my Author Agreement in the sand.

Photo credit Erin Summerill