The Latest in Life, Motherhood, and Writing

Some of you may be wondering what happened with that R&R I mentioned in a previous blog post a few weeks ago. Well... I finished it!

Yep, after working hard for a few weeks straight (and after insightful advice from critique partners and friends), I sent it to that wonderful agent yesterday. Can I just tell you how nervous I was to press send? I think I reread my email a dozen times, analyzing each word, going over all the changes I made in my head, trying to sound somewhat coherent when all I really wanted to do was write, "I DID IT!! I'm FINISHED! Do you LOVE it???? Say YES, please, say YES!!!"

And it's kind of funny, but I think I might have sat there, my cursor hovering over the send button for at least twenty more minutes had my finger not twitched and accidentally pressed send. Lol. Yeah.

Thankfully, the email was ready to go, but I guess some part of my body recognized the need to intervene with my crazy mind so I didn't obsess over it any longer.

So, now? I wait. This agent is usually super fast getting back to writers, so I'm guessing I'll know something in a couple weeks?

Although, I guess I'll be too busy to "wait." I'm hosting a baby shower at my house Thursday night and then my "baby" is turning FOUR (I can't believe he's four already!) in a few days and we are having a birthday party/brunch this Saturday at the house for him. Sooo, it will be a busy few days!

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook probably already know about THE major milestone that occurred this year for me. (For those of you who want to friend me on Facebook, click HERE. I'll only friend you if I know you already—or recognize your name—from blogging or Twitter, though, because I've heard of crazy stuff happening on FB with people pretending to be someone they're not.)

Anyhoo, my "baby" started preschool this year, and after 13 and a half years of constant mothering, I have four hours a day, three days a week to myself!!!!! And it is AMAZING!!

When I came home the first day from dropping D off at preschool, I walked in the house, stopped and just listened. And guess what?? There was SILENCE! There was no running, no screaming, no whining, no crying, no "MOM!", no "I'm hungry"....

I truly understood the saying, "Silence is bliss."

As much as I love my kids, it sure is nice to get a break! :)

Hope you're having a good week! Happy Wednesday! :)

**OH! And make sure you check out Unicorn Bell this week. I'm featuring more "How I Got My Agent" stories and there are some GREAT ones!! You can read Summer Spence's story HERE. And Julie Dao's story HERE. And tune into Friday's post to see who's next... :)

Famous First Lines

Have you ever read the first few lines of a book and knew right away that you and the novel were about to have a beautiful relationship? One that would last at LEAST until the next day?

I'm a sucker for a good pick-up first line. If you can reel me in with your first line, chances are, I'll stick around and read the whole thing.

I've read some great first lines in YA novels lately, and here are a few I thought you might enjoy.




"The first time I died, I didn't see God. No light at the end of the tunnel. No haloed angels. No dead grandparents.

To be fair, I probably wasn't a solid shoo-in for heaven. But, honestly, I kind of assumed I'd make the cut."

~Fracture by Megan Miranda








"The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.

Of course, Tally thought, you'd have to feed your cat only salmon-flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right."

~Uglies by Scott Westerfeld







"There's always that one guy who gets a hold on you. Not like your best friend's brother who gets you in a headlock kind of hold. Or the little kid you're babysitting who attaches himself to your leg kind of hold."

~The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg







"The name of the song is "This Lullaby." At this point, I've probably heard it, oh, about a million
times. Approximately.

All my life I've been told about how my father wrote it the day I was born. He was on the road somewhere in Texas, already split from my mom. The story goes that he got word of my birth, sat down with his guitar, and just came up with it, right there in a room at a Motel 6."

~This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen




"Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family.

No one is a criminal.

No one is a liar.

No one is a failure."

~We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Aren't those great? Do you have a favorite? Have you read a memorable first line lately?

September IWSG—Moving On

Hello, IWSG peeps. It's that time again. Time for another group posting of the IWSG. Hosted by the amazing Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG is where we post our insecurities, doubts, triumphs, and offer encouragement and support to others. To join this group, go HERE. And as always, a big thank you to the co-hosts for this month!

Well, y'all, I'm feeling pretty insecure at the moment. Last night, the Pitch Wars picks were released, and needless to say, I was not chosen. So, instead of feeling like this today:

I feel more like this:

No, I haven't cried or anything, but I am disappointed. I'm getting so used to rejection that I kind of expect it. 

BUT, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Last night, as I was in the midst of finding out I didn't make it into Pitch Wars, I received an email from my dream agent. She was full of compliments for the story and suggestions of how I could make it better. So, with her suggestions in mind, I'm going to do a R&R, which I'm super nervous and excited about.

I want to thank all of you for your kind words on my Pitch Wars mentee bio (if you didn't read it, you can find it HERE). Thank you for cheering me on, for supporting me, and for helping me see that I'm not alone in this.

Writing can sometimes feel like a solitary endeavor, but it's really not. As writers, we need each other. We will fall and we will fail, but it's a community like this that will help pick you back up. So, thank you.

And lastly, I'm sorry I've been MIA lately when it comes to blogging. Summertime was crazy with all the kids home, and I finally feel like my life is getting back to normal. I hope to visit all of you who regularly visit me very soon! I've missed all of you! And I've missed reading about everything that's going on in your lives.

Happy Wednesday! (Now, it's time for me to eat my way through a vat of chocolate.)