Celebration!

Evaine

Evaine

I just got my ms back from the last agent I sent it to today.  It's a fantasy novel for older children.

She likes it!!!

She's asked me to phone her back, so I'll know more on Monday.

(where are those revolving smilies when you need them?)

Jacey

Fantastic!  Well done Evaine!  I have my fingers crossed for you.  Let us know more on Monday won't you?

Hush Puppy

Brilliant news Evaine.  Keep us posted on your progress.

slopey

I agree, that is cause for celebration... Congratulations.

;-)

NarnieB

Fantastic news, well done. I am soooo envious. Never mind the agent (which is wonderful)I'd just like to get on and finish something bigger than a short story! You are already a star in my eyes.

Kangaroo

Congratulations Evaine, that's great news! I wonder what the agent will say?

Debs

Congratulations! I really, really hope you get more good news on Monday!!

Betsie

Wow! Congratulations.  Let us know what happens next.

Grandpa

Hello Evaine,

Fingers crossed for Monday!

Those smilies you'll be needing are on this website:

http://www.incredimail.com/splash/splash.asp

They appear to be free for the taking, too.

Best of luck from Grandpa, and all your friends on Talkback.

Evaine

Well, I've stopped wandering around saying "Oh, my!" at intervals, and I've phoned my boyfriend and everyone else who's read the story, but I expect I'll be up at about 5am tomorrow waiting until I can reasonably pick the phone up.

Lixxy

Good for you Evaine.  I bet it is a fantastic feeling.  keep us posted.  You do need to make a concerted effort to calm down however, or when you make the call you may come across as totally stark-staring mad!  Perfectly fine here of course, but first impressions count!

Jay Mandal

Good luck tomorrow!

TaffetaPunk

Let us know how it goes!

Well done you!

courierjohn

The clock is ticking. Make sure you let us know as soon as you know.
We can only hold our breath for so long!

Evaine

Well, I managed to sound quite business-like on the phone (apart from Alfie the dog whining in the background!).
The agent likes it, which  is particularly gratifying as she said she doesn't usually go for parallel universe stories.  (It's set partly in a medieval/Welsh fantasy world and Hay-on-Wye in this world).
She wants me to change a few things, but they're really very minor, mainly names that sound too similar or too hard to pronounce (a problem with Welsh names!).
She also wants me to shorten it, which will be a bit of a struggle, but I think I can do it - and then she wants to read the whole thing.

I'm very very pleased by this - and a bit nervous.  Up until this weekend it was just me playing around - now it's serious!

(I remember going to a writing workshop run by David Gerrold, the man who wrote the Star Trek episode Trouble with Tribbles.  He said the first million words are just for practice - you can practice sending your work out; you can even practice selling it, but the first million words are just for practice).

moira

Oh Evaine! What fantastic news, you've done so well to get this far, so all the very best of luck as you  make the break through to the big time!
You deserve a huge pat on the back - isn't it rewarding when someone you've never met says they like your writing - makes all that hard work pay off. Well done.

courierjohn

Good luck Evaine.
We're all hoping you achieve success with this.
It is a very promising start

Debs

I am soooo excited for you Evaine. You must be thrilled to bits!! Keep us all posted.

Jacey

WELL DONE Evaine!  This is fantastic! Good luck with making the changes, and keep us posted.  This is so promising, you must be absolutely thrilled.

Evaine

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement - much appreciated.  I've been alternating between feeling quite nervous and floating on air!

Shortening the ms was easier than I thought it would be. Just a bit of tidying up now, and it'll be ready to send out for the agent to read.  I just hope she likes the whole thing as much as she liked the first three chapters!

One of my friends is already asking who the cover artist is going to be!

moira

Hi there Evaine,
well done on your agent success, you'll be a best-seller before long!

Kangaroo

Wow! Congratulations Evaine, good luck with the next stage.

Evaine

I sent off the complete manuscript this morning, so fingers crossed!

Stan2

All the best Evaine

Jacey

Good luck!

Annie NM

What a great success.  I hope she sends it out immediately and you are announcing a sale next.

Betsie

I have my fingers crossed for you

sal

Well done Evaine
Yell, jump and shout with joy.  Your publisher will expect you to be over the moon, so don't worry about such things.

courierjohn

fingers crossed, toes crossed...eyes crossed.hope everything goes well for you Evaine

Evaine

Thanks, all!
Trying to concentrate on the sewing I have to do for re-enactment, for the moment, for a different type of panicking over deadlines ("You want how many Viking kid's tunics?  By when???")

Midnight Lady

That is great news.  Well done!

Fion

Wishing you the very best of luck, Evaine! It sounds promising... fingers crossed!

Fion.

PS: Jany, I enjoyed your metaphor for sending the child out to school; so true!

Evaine

I was talking to a friend in town the other day, and she asked if I'd considered looking for a grant to get it translated into Welsh, since it's set partly in Wales (Hay is just in Wales) and the fantasy part of it is very medieval-Welsh influenced.

Helen

That is great news, Evaine! I'm really pleased for you!

Kathy Morgan

Great news so far, Evaine, hope it all goes well.

Phoenix

Congratulations Evaine! I'm so pleased for you, its wonderful news!

love Phoenix xxx

Evaine

I heard back from the agent today, and she likes it, but not quite enough  to represent me.
She did give me some valuable criticism, and was encouraging enough to suggest I try other agents, because it's such a subjective judgement, so I'm not as disappointed as I might have been.

My next attempt will be better!

courierjohn

That's the spirit Evaine.
Up and at them. It is all very encouraging.
Now. GO FOR IT AGAIN!!!

moira

Hi Evaine, what a shame! Send it back out won't you? After all, you're book was good enough to attract her interest in the first place, so it's proof of your ability to write well.
Let us know how you get on, good luck.

Jacey

Yes, you're almost there.  Onwards and upwards.

Evaine

I'm going to let it sit for a little while so that I can come to it fresh and maybe fix some of the problems the agent thought it had, like explaining why the hero let his ex-wife stay with him (I had to cut for length, and the Sacred Laws of Hospitality had to go) - but there's not a lot I can do about the three points of view, since each of them sees something different of the main action.

In the meantime, I have another story started, set in the same universe, so the magical system I worked out won't go to waste!

Annie NM

Don't give up, and fix up the things you agree need fixing and send it out again!  I don't know why it's so unbelievable that an ex-husband might live with her. Mine has been at my house a few times, as we are friends.  On my couch, mind you, though he'd love to be in the bed again.  But no way!  His last girlfriend was the Skenkiest woman I ever met!!!

Evaine

Oh, this ex-wife tries to kill him later on!

I actually got a second email from the agent.  Having written to her to thank her for her advice, I ended with "the next one will be better", and she emailed back to say "don't give up on this one - it's got a lot of good points and it's a good idea."!
Which bucked me up no end, so that's what I'm going to do.

Stan2

Well done Evaine - don't give up on the MS.

Evaine

I didn't give up - I did another re-write - and I have a contract with a literary agent in New York!!!
They're the Children's Literary Agency.
They want me to have the work professionally critiqued (by anyone I like) but they have already sent me the contract, and said just to let them know when the critique was going to be done.

I'm still feeling slightly stunned.

I'm a writer!!!

Gary

I only just read this thread, as we only joined talkback the other week :O) but its great news and hopefully the money is going to be good for you to :O)

Well done and good luck with it :O)

Gary and Carol :O)

Jan

Well done Evaine,

Persistence does pay! Heres to the start of a series of your volumes.

Kangaroo

You're getting there Evaine!

Jenny

Evaine - So it can be done - congratulations! You must be on Cloud 10 - Cloud 9 not being quite high enough!!

Evaine

Thanks for the good wishes!

I found the agents in a list of useful internet links, followed it through, and filled in their on line form.  The ms got sent by email too, and so did the contract, but now snail mail has taken over and the signed copies are being sent back by airmail.
They will be looking for publishers in the US only.
I'm just getting used to using the phrase "I have an agent in New York"!