I’ve tried writing this post a few times, but the truth is … it’s hard to share rejection. Especially after the good news about the Genesis contest.
My agent called Friday afternoon. We were at the school where Joshua practises baseball. A gorgeous day with the sun shining. It was still shining after I got rejected, too.
Actually, it was an encouraging rejection, as the publishing house is moving toward historical/Amish books and away from Contemporary Fiction. There were several compliments about my writing followed by several areas the editor thought I could improve. I found out today that the lovely editor was going to reject me a few days earlier, but then the finalist list came out that very day, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wanted me to enjoy a few days of the finalist glow. Also found out today that the same house recently rejected a past Christy winner. If that’s the case, what makes me think I have a chance?
Really though, it’s not about what chance I have. The odds are very, very slim. But I know I’m supposed to write so I keep on doing it. I’m getting excited/scared about the next books Mom and I will tackle. At this point, we’ll be moving ahead into those new stories and wait to see what the other two houses who have both full manuscripts think of those.
As a dear friend reminded me, it only takes one editor to really connect with the story.
Okay, this is getting long. Take a break. Stretch or grab some refreshments and come back later.
Here again? Good. Back to the sequence of events: rejected at baseball practise, jump in the car while still talking to agent–broke the habit of driving while on the cell phone last year after Karen Ball told a pertinent story, but I couldn’t help myself–and take Andrea to tap lesson, race back to find that Joshua was out early (never happens!), hang around for about ten minutes, sell the van to an awesome Christian family that we connected with over Craig’s List, drive the truck to pick up Andrea, and finally sit down to absorb the news. Really, I was too busy for it to sink in.
We were up early on Saturday morning for Joshua’s first game. Red Socks vs. Yankees. Red Socks won, just like they did in the same match up in real life. Joshua batted a .333, which is better than some pros. 😉 We loved watching him, his teammates, and even the other team play “real” ball. Can you tell that T-ball was tough on us last year?
Kev and Dad headed out to the golf course to enjoy the 75 degree weather. I choose to stay home and wash my new car. Yes, new car, which is why we sold the van. I’ve never had a brand new vehicle and we haven’t had a car payment for years, but the Toyota Prius won me over. It’s a hybrid that gets 45-50 mpg and the state gives a $1500 tax credit. What’s not to love?
Two days after we bought that, my hubby bought a very inexpensive, old Ford Aspire which gets 35 mpg. Collectively, we will save about $150 in gas money per month. Which basically covers the car payment. 🙂
During a moment of inattention, perhaps wringing a towel out or rinsing the car, our black labs ran off. Shortly, I received a call from my neighbor that they’d come to visit him. I say “neighbor,” but they live about a ten-minute walk away.
Well, as I was washing the car, it kept looking dirty. I washed the same spots again and again until it dawned on me that so much pollen was blowing around I would never get the car clean. I decided I needed to put it in the garage before I got the dogs so the car would not be covered by the time I returned. I grabbed my purse, sat in the car, and tried to start it. Wouldn’t start.
It may sound funny that I don’t mention a key, but the car has a keyless start. All I have to do is push a button when the key is somewhere inside the vehicle and it starts. Obviously, my key was no longer buried at the bottom of my purse. I found it on the counter inside, got back in the Prius, coasted it into the garage, and rounded the kids up. I figured they could sit in the back of the truck bed and call the dogs so they would follow us home.
As soon as I tried to start the truck, which needs a key, I realize I left my keys in the Prius when I dug through my purse. I ran back for them when screams pierced the air and my daughter jetted out of the truck and my son actually somersaulted from the back, over the driver’s seat, and out the door. Seems some wasps had made the back of their truck home. By now the neighbor has been waiting fifteen minutes for me to come get my fool dogs who don’t think 15 1/2 acres is enough room to roam so have to be shut into a fenced area for much of their lives.
I drove up to his house, kids in the cab, and called for the dogs. Only one came. She jumped up on the truck door so I got out so she wouldn’t scratch the door. Wreaking of an indescribable odor and filthy from swimming in the other neighbor’s pond, she gets all over me, telling me how happy she is to see I found her. Finally the other dog came and tried the same. If I got in the cab, they scratched up the door. If I held the door open, they tried to climb their stinky way into the cab. If I was out with them, I got filthy and obviously couldn’t drive away.
Ironically, this is when the rejection emotions hit me. It was all I could do not to break into tears in front of our poor, innocent neighbor. The dogs ended up chasing the truck home. My husband ended up not caring about the gouges from the dogs in the paint on his door. And I ended up getting ready for my first Girl’s Night Out for a long time in about five minutes. Basically I scrubbed the muck off, changed clothes, and spritzed some perfume.
At least the occasion was an Anita Renfroe show. The woman saved my day. Five of us ladies had dinner at the Outback before finding our very-close-to-the-front seats. What a great time of laughing. Most of you probably know Anita as the “Momsense” singer. She treated us to a rendition of “Dadsense” which delighted as well. The tickets were a little bit expensive, mainly because of all of Ticketmasters fees.
One thing I’m still trying to figure out is that our ticket said “Anita Renfroe and Special Guest.” Was that her sweet husband who took the brunt of many of her jokes? Or is that a spiritual reminder that God is always with us? Anyway, whatever the cost of the tickets, if she tours near you, go see her! She takes the sting of rejection and makes it the sting of cheek muscles who’ve worked way too hard.
I’d meant to buy her book, Songs in the Key of Solomon, for Valentine’s, but I’d forgotten. Buying it at the show meant I got both her and her husband’s autograph! Make sure and catch her Thursday on Good Morning America. She’s doing regular comedy features on there now. Go, Anita!
At around 11:15 PM, I arrived home, only to head out to get Andrea, who’d gotten scared at a sleepover and needed to come home. It’s all momsense to me.
It is sooooooo hard to wait, and every rejection, no matter how encouraging, hurts eventually. Like you said, all it takes is one editor to convince their house to say yes–and God subtly in the background making it all happen.
But until then, we wait. 🙂