Sunday, July 21, 2024

Thirty-five thousand words so far

I'm still waiting on another contract from Harlequin for my Love Inspired Amish romances. I've been waiting for months. It's frustrating and not a little nerve-wracking, since the first thought that goes through my brain is they're trying to tell me my writing isn't good enough.

But a note to my agent soothed my frayed nerves. I wrote, "I have to admit, [my editor's] silence in the face of a possible new contract worries me. Should I be concerned?" – to which he replied, "No. Stop worrying. She’s not being silent, she’s being busy. [smiley-face emoticon]" Clearly this agent is used to dealing with insecure writers.

In fact, Harlequin is by no means ignoring me. I've had emails from editorial assistants regarding various components about books currently in the pipeline (finalizing artwork, etc.), and a note to my editor confirmed she hopes to get to my latest proposal soon, but she's behind in her reading. I have to remember they're dealing with controlled mayhem on the editorial side, and the world doesn't revolve around me.

So I've tried to be patient. And I'm writing. I'm writing a lot. Currently I'm participating in "Camp NaNoWriMo" and so far I'm 35,000 words into a 70,000-word manuscript. My hope to submit the final story in a month or so.

Besides, it's beastly hot outside (107F as I write this), and the keyboard is a useful and productive alternative when it's too miserable outside to do anything else. Onward!

1 comment:

  1. Feeling for you about the heat. It was very hot and dry here in June, and July has been rainy and much cooler. Great gardening weather.
    Back when the heat was descending I saw an ad for a new kind of ac that 's much more energy efficient. Supposedly better than the "Mr. Cool" type that is supposedly better than HVAC systems many homes have, and you can install yourself.
    Anyway, the ac being advertised, a window unit, was the exact same wierd looking ac I bought last year as backup for a window unit I thought was on its last legs! Almost all the ac's had sold out but this one, and it was only 8,000 btus, and I wanted 12,000 but everything bigger was gone. So I bought it.
    After seeing that ad and realizing the wierd ac I bought ( a Midea), was sitting unopened, I got it out of the box and installed it. WOW! It has kept the area it's installed in, which is twice the size it's rated for, quite cool and the rest of the house much cooler too with the help of a ceiling fan. It's all I've been using now and even while the bad heat was going on in June, my energy consumption every day dropped dramatically. It's only using 700 watts an hour set on 70 degrees and on high. The dehumidifier would use much less in case of a power outage, yet still provide some cooling. I'm thinking it might work well with a bluetti hooked up to a solar panel for pass through charging.

    Anyway, I know this post was really about your writing, but I'm truly impressed with this advance in cooling technology. Don't know how it works, but it works. Would be great in a small or tiny home.

    Good luck with your writing. It'll all come together soon.

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