The Jealousy Food Chain

There seems to be a food chain of jealousy in publishing. Someone just starting a WIP might be irritated when their critique partner announces they just finished a first draft; so-and-so is freaking out about a full request and you only got a partial; if one more person announces they signed with an agent you're going to throw something; the agented writer cringes when another book deal is announced and they're still on sub; the person with a one-book deal wonders why this other person got a two-book deal, with a bigger publishing house; everyone is jealous of the seven figure deal that's buzzing all over Twitter; this author over here really wishes their cover could have been as amazing as so-and-so's cover; the author that has to keep their day job may envy the full-time writer who cranks out more than one book a year and is constantly on tour like a rock star; we see yet another movie or TV series being made out of a fantasy or paranormal and think WHY CAN'T I WRITE A BOOK LIKE THAT?; those authors with movie deals might be jealous over another movie's casting, as they have zero control over this, or glare at the (few) people with theme parks/thrill rides based on their books/comics etc ... that's really as far as my brain can see this going. If you land a theme park set in the world of your imagination, YOU HAVE ARRIVED! ;)

*UPDATE - of course, as KM mentioned in the comments, we are also VERY happy for everyone's good news. It should be more encouraging than discouraging that dreams DO come true!

I think it's probably common to wish you were in a different place, no matter WHERE you are yourself. Unless you're J.K. Rowling, there's always someone ahead of you (and I'll bet even she admires someone else--you never know). For some reason, we get it into our heads that we need to rush rush rush. "But I want to be a NYT Bestseller NOW!" "I want that seven-figure deal NOW!"

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But we can't let that jealousy rob us of our individual experience. Sure, we can look to the future and have hopes and goals, but we can't be so blinded by it we miss what's right in front of us. Everyone ahead of you was right where you are at one point, they just happened to go through it first. I'm learning to look at them as proof that these goals can actually be accomplished, and work my rear off to get there. Channel that desire to be where they are into making it happen, and don't give up and start whining about it all. It's WORK. Hard work. You have to love it.

As I'm waiting and waiting for my first book to make it onto a shelf next year, I've found myself wishing time would just HURRY UP ALREADY so I can realize that dream. But... why would I wish my life to speed up? I have plenty to enjoy at this stage, as well as a lot of work before I'm READY to be any farther along.

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A Book Deal of My Very Own!!

For those of you that missed my Twitter and Facebook FREAKOUT last week...

I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!

BY BLOOMSBURY!

NEXT YEAR!

Here's a little breakdown of my life since October, GIF style.

I HAVE AN AGENT!

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I'M ON SUBMISSION! But wait... editors have my book? REAL EDITORS? At REAL publishing houses? People who have edited books that I've READ are reading MY BOOK?

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But months went by...

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So I tried to distract myself with my WIP...

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Until I got a call from my agent and she said she was about to change my life.

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And she told me about the offer from Bloomsbury.

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As she kept talking, it slowly sunk in.

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And then...

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And I told my family.

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And critique partners.

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And then I heard they planned on publishing it in MAY of 2014?!?!

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And then I found out it was going to be a TWO-BOOK DEAL.

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And then I talked to my editor for the first time and discovered that we're basically the same person. (We even both take tap dance classes on Wednesdays!?!)

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I'm so so so so excited to be working with Caroline Abbey at Bloomsbury, I can't even tell you! She's worked with Lindsey Leavitt and Melissa Walker! And you know who else is at Bloomsbury? SHANNON HALE! Remember when I met her last year and fangirled all over the place? And she asked me to tell a little about myself so I blabbered about being a writer and then she asked what house I was with and I had to say I just started querying, but now I can say BLOOMSBURY LIKE YOU! *breathes* I just... can't even.

I am so grateful to so many people. My amazing agent, my family, my critique girls, my beta readers, my writing buddies, my blogging support system, and now to my editor for giving me this amazing opportunity for an experience of a lifetime! I mean, NEXT YEAR... MY BOOK will be ON SHELVES in BOOKSTORES, in LIBRARIES, and WHO KNOWS WHERE ELSE?! People I don't know are going to read it, and sure some will hate it and some will be just meh about it... but some might actually love it! I am okay with ALL OF THIS!

I am more than okay, I am:

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