GOOD NEWS!

Back in May, I sent off a) an idea to a magazine for a serial b) a short story and c) a completed draft of a pocket novel to My Weekly. Then, I sat back and waited....and waited.....and waited. Also I checked my e-mails not just every day or every hour but yes, practically every minute. But it wasn't just days which ticked by with no news, but weeks and then oh horror of horrors, months. Two to be precise. Obviously my precious manuscripts hadn't arrived. Was it too soon to chase? If I chased would I be seen as a troublemaker, a stalker, a pain in the a"*+! I'd spent so long sitting tight. I must be a failure, no one wanted my rotten stories, I should just give in and give up. That was whispered in the cold dark hours by the horrid gremlin who sits on all writers' shoulders whispering sour nothings in our ears. But instead of listening to him, I shoved the little devil off my shoulder and into the mud where he belonged. Then I stamped on him and ...... got out my laptop and started something new. Because that's what you have to do when you're waiting. Luckily I had the RNA conference to look forward to. And, it was while I was there that my gorgeous husband 'phoned me to say that a package had arrived. Yes, it was from the magazine I'd sent the serial to. 'Rip it open, take a look,' I urged my husband. 'They liked it,' he said, 'they want some revisions. Nine in fact. But they liked it!' Hurrah. Then, lo and behold, also while I was at the conference an e-mail came through to say that My Weekly had accepted my latest novel, 'Tango at Midnight.' Double hoorah!!!! But, the moral to this story is that I kept writing, even when I thought all my efforts had turned to dust and that editors hated me. You've got to keep that wagon rolling even when you think all is lost. Because it's not. What's more, even if I'd have had rejections which I would have felt rotten about, I'd have still had something new to keep me going. Here by the way is a photo of me at the RNA gala dinner at this year's conference in Greenwich sent by my good, good friend Penny. And there also looking very serious is my gorgeous husband who loved every second of attending the Greenwich dinner and, as one of the few men at the conference, basked in having been given a round of applause by all the girlies on our table, simply for being there!