The Call-let

As in the mini-call...well, the mini-mail.

(For you non-writers, "the call" is when an editor or agent phones you with an offer. Okay, so this isn't nearly as momentous, still...)

Here's the deal: I got home on Friday afternoon, collected the mail, and saw a letter from a publishing house. Now, since I'd submitted Fit For Love to said publishing house, I figured here was my latest rejection (see archives about how MAIL is not your friend when it comes to this phase of the submission process). Anyway, I slit the flap open, and the first thing I noticed was several blocks of lines--y'know, the kind for filling stuff out.

Huh?

Then I realized...ahhhh...said publishing house was also where I submitted a short story Monday night via email. And...omigod...this is the contract for it!

Double huh!

Yep. I sold a short story to True Romance, tentatively the May issue.

I ask you: HOW FRIGGIN' COOL IS THAT????

Flashback to December. Several of my critique partners have made sales in this area, so I picked up one of the magazines and took it with me to Vegas for New Years (yep, it made really good bathtub reading material). I thought--hey, maybe I could do this. They're just short romances, right?

To tell the truth, I wasn't that cavalier about it. As y'all may recall, I have enough trouble figuring out how to get my characters to fall in love in a novel-length book, so I wasn't so sure of my capacity to do it in 20-30 pages.

But, apparently, I did! Woo hoo!

Not without the help, I must stress, of my critique partners over at Rebelromance writers. (That means Carol, Vonda, and Terry!) They held my hand, answered my questions, and streamlined the whole learning curve for me. And others in that group critted the submission (thanks to Judy, Tammy, and Pam!) Although, I have to admit, since you get paid by the word, I'm now cursing them for helping me tighten the damn thing, thereby reducing my income.

See, this is how it is in the writing business. You savor even the smallest successes. And I mean, SAVOR.