Sharing the Happiness

I promised a 'Sharing the Happiness' post last week, but kept putting it off in hopes of having more to add. Unfortunately, some of the good news I was waiting on got derailed or those involved haven't gone public. That means part of this post will have to be a little vague and a follow-up post will be making an appearance once they formally make the announcements.

First off, let's all celebrate, because we can.

When I see you at the finish line, I'm going to take my time

Now, onto the reasons we're celebrating. Starting with the ones I *can* share. The wonderfully talented, all-around fabulous and heck of a nice guy Sean McConnell signed with agent Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Agency. You can read all about it here. If you're on Twitter, I also suggest following both Sean (@SP_McConnell) and Terrie (@AKA_Terrie). They're both very positive and helpful.

If you'd like a sneak peek of what Sean's capable of, check his work out on his website, Ballatore Academy.

Next came news of two other friends (both of whom I can't believe haven't gotten signed yet) with offers of rep. Yes, the good news was coming fast and furious last week.

The first one opted to reject the offer of rep. (Yes, you read that right.) Like any business venture, entering into a contract with an agent takes trust and belief that they're the right one for you. The extraordinarily talented Lucas Hargis had neither of those with his offer. He blogs about it on The Write Frame of Mind.
I'm still crossing my fingers something good comes from this round of queries.

Both Sean and Lucas will be participating in Freaky Fridays: The Dark Carnival with me this October. Details to follow this week. I highly recommend checking both their work out.

Second friend is still thinking over their offer and going through their options. Once things are all official, another post will be going up so everyone can send their congratulations.

Finally, on a non-writerly note, a close friend of mine announced her engagement. Again, I have to be vague as possible since she hasn't announced it yet. I'm insanely happy for her and can't wait to celebrate. She will be getting a post of her own because she is amazing herself. For now, I have to keep quiet. But, she deserved a mention in my happiness post.

With all this incredible news surrounding me, I have none of my own to share. It's ok. I'm enjoying the happiness and good vibes coming off all my friends. The promise of good things ahead for some of them. For those of us going through the writing and querying process, we're all at different stages.

I'd be lying if I said writers don't get a little jealous when we hear about others getting those offers. For me, I'm more jealous of these three friend's talent. I seriously CANNOT wait to be able to share their stories with everyone. Maybe it's because I've fought alongside them so long in the Query Trenches and saw them go through disappointment and near misses. Maybe it's because I read early drafts and critiqued their work. Whatever the reason, I have never been so happy to hear about offers of rep, even if they ultimately got turned down.

As for me, well like the song says, "I'll be just fine/When I see you at the finish line/Doesn't matter if I take my time." That finish line's the same for us all and it's not going anywhere. I'm just taking a more scenic route to get there.