Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Doing a happy jig!

Whoo-hoo! I'm dancing in my seat. The luck of the Irish is with me. I just got a contract from Chicken Soup. My story made final round for Shaping the New You. They make no promises until the very last minute, but this one looks like it might make it. I sent it off in Jan. '09 and it won't be released until Dec. '10, so that is nearly two years in development. That is why you just have to send it off and let it go.

My husband is so funny sometimes, or maybe I'm just giddy tonight. We went out this evening and on the way home he said in an artificial uppity voice, "I enjoyed dining out with you and going to the theater this evening." Then he laughed and said, "Well, as a writer, nobody knows better than you, it's all in how you word it. Sounds better than saying I enjoyed the $3.00 show and McDonald's."

Then the sun was shining behind the clouds and the sky had a red cast. He said, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning." I said, "Are you kidding? It's a red sky tonight, does that mean it's going to be warm tomorrow?" He chuckled again, "I said, sailor's delight, not Linda's delight."

More good news, my daughter-in-law's vision has improved enough so that she can drive in the daytime. I am so grateful to God and to all of you for your prayers.

10 comments:

Bookie said...

Yea! Good for you! What issue are you wriitng for, or is it a general topic?

Lynn said...

Congratulations Linda - don't forget to give me the details for Here's News!

Susan said...

Hello Linda. Thanks for the good news post. We all need more of those! Sincerely, Susan

Pat Wahler said...

I'm so happy that your daughter in law is doing better. That's wonderful news!

And congrats on the contract. After my last experience with Chicken Soup (got the contract but one month before publication they notified me the story didn't make the book), I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed for you!

BECKY said...

Congrats, Linda! I hope your story makes it into the book, too. Your hubby is a riot!! AND, what wonderful news about your daughter-in-law! I was JUST thinking of her!

Linda O'Connell said...

Hi Claudia, Lynn, Susan and Pat. I get over my burst of enthusiasm soon after I read the contract fine print: final selection occurs 30 days before publication date,and your story could be eliminated. I have received fifteen C.S. contracts and had three stories pulled at the very last minute. I never take that persoanlly. It's not about me; it's about their editorial needs. I'm very patient. I send it again...years later and usually they end up buying the same story, unrevised. Patience pays off.

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

Congratulations! You are right about sending it and then forgetting it. When I first started submitting I drove myself nuts. Have learned to just keep plugging away!

Tammy said...

Yippee! Will look forward to that one! And thanks for the tip about resubmitting the same story later. I've done it with different editors, but wondered about trying it with the same one. Am so happy to hear the good news about your d-in-l! Have been wondering how she's doing.

Beth M. Wood said...

So, if all the stars align, both our stories will be in the same book!
How cool is that? Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Linda! I still say you are the queen.