I’m slogging along on the ms., which is good. I’ve gotten seven (out of nine) rejections for my ms., which is not good, but I’m okay with it–this story is simply not BIG enough, and I understand why it’s getting so many “no”s. My dad is coming for a visit next week, which is good, and he is going to work on our new house and make it cleaner and have one less ridiculous fountain in the backyard, which is also good. We met with our contractor about the work on said new house, and it’ll take longer than I had thought (of course) which is not good. And he is giving us an estimate for the costs on Tuesday, which is good, but scary. I am reading The Leopard Prince which is really good–I think Elizabeth Hoyt is a superb author, I love her wit and characterization. Hm. What else is good? Last night the Actually Got To Leave Work At 6:30 Spouse and I watched 16 Blocks starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def. Really, really good. I love Mos Def. And he made this plum wine sangria that was delish. I am continuing to write Road To Passion, which is good, and am over 47,000 words, which is really good. And, hm, I think that’s about it. Insert the usual complaint about being exhausted/not enough coffee/too fat here.

Megan

Okay, so two more rejections for Lessons In Love have come across the transom. All of the ‘no’s have very nice things to say to cushion the ‘no,’ but they’re still ‘no’s. Darn. Six more replies yet to come in. It only takes one ‘yes,’ right?

I don’t take it personally–I agree with some of why they said no–but it is hard to get rejected, no matter how thick a writing skin you have. Luckily, there’s diet Coke and smoked almonds (the crackiest of snack foods) to assuage the hurt.
And Clive. We’ll always have Clive.

Megan

James Brown, Gary Oldman, and Clive Owen in one of those short BMW films.

God, could Clive Owen be any cooler?!?

In other news, the agent is sending out Lessons In Love to publishers this week. Luck should be wished by you to me.

Dear Writer’s Diary,

Yesterday was a doozy (fyi, did you know ‘doozy’ comes from ‘daisy,’ not originally from the Duesenberg automobile, although that car’s fabulousness added to the word’s luster? Sure you did).

I did laundry, wrestled with real estate mishegas (Yiddish word for craziness; I have been channeling my Inner Jew with all this mess. Just don’t get me started on ‘fakakt,’ although I have no idea how to spell it), wrote a smidge, starting reading Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (LOVE IT!), worked out, then had an actual outside-of-the-house DATE with my husband. Sushi and chocolate. Can’t beat it with a stick.

I am already missing the Picky Vegetarian, who leaves Portland, OR, to head to Laos and Cambodia by way of Hong Kong.

My agent has promised to send out the pitch letter for Lessons In Love next week; then I get to be on all kinds of tenterhooks (btw, I wanted to find the definition of tenterhooks, and here’s what I got: “one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.” Big help, thanks).

My son returns from his Dote Week down in South Jersey today; I cannot wait to hug him.

I would write to you about how I feel fat, scared, confident, insecure, nervous, smart, and ochlophobic (afraid of crowds), but I pretty much do that in my regular posts.

Love,

Megan

Things That Have Been Done:

Updated synopsis for Lessons In Love written
Make-up worn every day for over five days
Freelance job done stupendously (IIDSSM)
Fantastic book, Poison Study, read
Offer made, and accepted, on real estate. Breath has been bated.
Up to Serge Gainsbourg in ripping discs into iMac.
Some random item of son’s junk food eaten every day.

Things That Have Not Been Done:

Words written on Road To Passion
Anything but jeans worn
Someone in house not ill (currently, the Spouse has pneumonia; even more remarkable, he took a sick day).
Friend’s sample pages read (sorry, EKM)
Weight lost (see last item on TTHBD).

A very brief post to say the agent is preparing the pitch letter for Lessons In Love. Which means sending to editors is not far behind. Honestly, all I want is for someone to read my stuff who might give me money, and not just my parents. Or my friends if I shut up.

So even if I get a round of rejections, at least I’ll know steps were taken.

More excruciatingly mindlessly-detailed updates later–

Megan