Something wicked is coming ~ and I couldn’t be happier

I’m not usually one to toot my own horn but I really have to in this case because I’m so flipping happy I can’t think straight. My debut Young Adult fantasy novel, IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING, has been picked up by Month9Books and will be published in the Summer/2016.

I gotta tell you, it’s been a crazy ride and one that has happened really fast. On May 31, I took a chance and submitted my query to one of my dream publishers ~ Month9Books.  I was so nervous and if it hadn’t been for an awesome friend and writer buddy, I may have never done so. She worked with me for days to help me tighten my query, and then gave me the shove I needed to take the chance. On June 8, I received an email that said:

My heart just about leapt out of my chest!  I couldn’t believe it. But then I got another shock.  I had one week to submit the full. I scurried to complete a final edit, looking for any misspelled words, grammar issues, punctuation, formatting. I completely drove myself bonkers but I got it done, and on June 14, I hit that submit button.

And then I waited.  And waited.  I checked the Twitter feeds.  Day after day I noticed tweets from Georgia McBride that said “Ugh, sending lots of rejections today.” “Ugh. 7 rejections sent today.”  Of course, that sent me skittering to my inbox to see if I was one of them, but my inbox remained quiet. Then, July 5, I got the most wonderful e-mail ever from Georgia McBride: “I enjoyed the story and characters immensely, and feel it would fit well on my 2016 list at Month9Books.”

I cried. Then I hugged my husband, called my daughters, called my friend who helped me with my query, and then I cried some more.  In between all that, I kept going back to the e-mail to re-read it, just to make sure I didn’t read it wrong. But the words remained in black and white. My novel, my “child” that I gave birth to and nurtured and shaped and molded for more years than I want to admit, was going to see the light of day.  I cannot even begin to express how excited, honored and blessed I am.

What happens from here?  Right now, I wait.  As the time draws closer to publication date, I’m sure there will be lots of edits, lots of back and forths on promotions, book covers, marketing, and I’m sure it’s going to make my head spin, but it will all be worth it.  A life-long dream has come true.  My novel will be out there for all the world to read, and if one person cherishes it, I will be elated. Of course I’ll be even happier if I get a movie deal out of it, but that’s another post.  Another dream.  Until then, I’m going to bask in this awesomeness.

I just wish Summer 2016 wasn’t so far away.