Checking Off a 2012 Resolution

On January 5th of 2012, I posted by list of New Year's Resolutions. Number 1 on that list was probably not the sort of thing you should put on a resolutions list at all, because it was halfway out of my control. But I put it anyway, to remind myself to buckle down and get EVEN MORE SRS about this whole writing business.

My #1 New Year's Resolution last year was to find an agent.

Almost exactly one year later (granted, a few days past the 2012 deadline), I received a phone call that let me check that resolution off my list.

After 4 years of widely querying 3 different completed projects. After working on this book since 2010, shelving it for a year in 2011, and tossing it at the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. After receiving an awesome Publisher's Weekly review and getting SOCLOSE to the top 3, but not making it. After meeting a really cool agent at an SCBWI party* and tricking her into volunteering to read my book (mwahahaha!).** After receiving a very nice, thoughtful and seriously long editorial letter from her requesting revisions, and staring at it thinking "... HOW DID THIS NEVER MAKE SENSE BEFORE?!" and then rewriting like a madwoman for two months. After some drunken table dancing at a publishing party.*** After resending it shortly after le hurricane of doom, and sitting around obsessively tweaking small bits here and there for another week of being unable to really work much at work, and then resending it to her a second time like an annoying person, because OCDNESS.

After all of that, I can finally say...

I have an agent!!!!!!!!

So, a huge thanks to the awesome Bridget Smith at Dunham Lit for taking me on in all my crazy. And thanks to all of you guys who have been reading my blabbing about this book for the last 3 years. <333

Here's to accomplishing resolutions!!!

... Now back to the second resolution on last year's list. "Finish next novel." Hmm...****

* seriously guys, if you write YA or children's fiction and you don't already belong to the SCBWI, JOIN. It is the best thing my college writing professor ever strong-armed me into doing, and it's the best $70 a year I spend on my career

** butnotreally, cause guys, agents go to those parties BECAUSE they want to find new writers. So don't be shy and weird about your writing! Like I am sometimes *shifty eyes*. I mean, don't attack them about it either, but...

*** cause that's what happens when you play Gangnam Style to a crowd of book nerds. It's genetic or something. Cannot be helped.

**** and let's not even talk about resolution #3, because look, doesn't everyone swear that they will start going to the gym for New Year's? I mean, technically I JOINED one! AND I went! But then injuries and shenanigans and LEAVE ME AND MY COOKIES ALONE, WE HATES YOU TREADMILL, we hates you foreverrrrr...