phew...

So, the manuscript of The Mist is now edited. It's polished and ready to submit to various houses (Thank you Jim Griffin, editor). When I look at the original and compare it to the final draft, I'm amazed at the transformation and change in the quality and flow of the prose.

Maria is putting the final touches on the book trailer and I'll be posting it shortly to my web site and on YouTube.

I think I have everything done on the pre-marketing plan checklist. I hand everything off to my fabulous agent on Thursday night, and then the waiting game begins.

When I reflect on the last two years, from winning the PEN Award to now preparing to submit for publication, I can't help but hold mixed emotions. The manuscript has only been submitted to two houses thus far, and both were fairly large ones: Delacorte and Little, Brown & Co., so no shame in rejections there. But the work and waiting, not to mention the money laid out for a professional edit, seriously puts me in a hole. But, I guess it's not about the money and time, is it? We write to write. But somehow, even with that said, it seems like we fail if the book never sees the shelves. As a friend once said to me, "most people talk about one day writing a book, but you've actually gone and done it." He's right, I suppose.

I'm hoping the book will find a home somewhere, and if not, so be it.

My attention now turns to a new novel I'm working on, Cemetery Girl. I recently read the first chapter to a group of parents and students at the William J. Johnston Middle School Literacy Luau.

I felt a bit awkward reading it at a public venue because most of the guest authors read from published works, but in the end, I'm glad I did. It proved to be a good opportunity to let the students know that writers write, revise, and re-write, etc., so as a work in progress, I solicited comments and advice when I finished. The first chapter seemed well-received by the gathered kids and adults. Everyone seemed to laugh at the right places, and say, "Oh, didn't expect that," at the close of the chapter.

We'll see where the characters take me.