Sunday, August 06, 2006

I Heart My Mailbox

Well, in truth, it's a love/hate relationship.

(Yeah, I know. I really gotta start looking into having human relationships.)

See, here’s the deal: As an author, there are so many times when getting mail is a GOOD thing. Like when you’ve sent a one page query and your SASE (for you nonwriters, that’s a self-addressed stamped envelope−we include them with our submissions to make life easier for agents and editors to reject us) comes back asking for more. Or when you’ve sent a partial and the SASE arrives with a request for the full.

BUT…there also comes a point when mail is a very BAD thing…

Y’all know I’m waiting to hear from a publisher who’s considering Fit For Love. In this case, good news will NOT come in the mail. It will come in a phone call or an email. At this point, MAIL = BAD NEWS. So my heart sank when I went to the box on Saturday, opened it up and saw…one lone envelope…one very familiar-looking envelope…as in my personal stationery...as in an SASE.

Before even removing it from the box, I let the disappointment flood through me. Had the little pep talk about how, of course, I wasn’t shocked. It would have been more shocking NOT to get the letter.

But then something funny happened.

My eyes darted to the return address. Not the publisher I’m waiting to hear from, but another one! One I’d sent a partial to way back in September and pretty much forgotten about because they’re having trouble.

I started breathing again.

Fit For Love ain’t dead yet.

2 comments:

Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon said...

Do not fear your mailbox, darling. My first contact with said publisher regarding my acquired work was in a snail mail letter embossed with their return address (not the SASE I sent 'em.) And since I haven't received my revision letter yet, I'd lay dollars to donuts FFL is still on the very same burner.

Randy said...

Well, if they're on the same burner, hopefully yours will send good vibes to mine. :)