A Dark Horse Emerges

So I'm minding my business, trying to tie up some work so I can get out of the office by noon.

Princess Bea, who's at work with me due to a minor daycare health crisis, is tearing through my office like a tornado, leaving trails of cereal from the conference room to my desk, throwing discs out of my desk drawer like they're frisbees, and screaming at the top of her lungs anytime I pick up the phone.

:::sigh::: It looked to be a very lonnngggg day.

Then...::ring, ring::

Anytime my phone squawks, it's someone wanting something!

Why, oh why, can't all people just email? At least I can answer those when I get good and ready.

Ahh but it's one of those goodly calls.

My agent, on a hot streak since last Friday's news, calls to say that a new publisher has emerged with interest in my mss.

This is totally unexpected!

Well, not totally. After all, I knew which publishers had the mss. But,was assuming she was calling to give an update on Publisher A and B.

This sudden contender is not just calling to relay that they're "interested," either. They're coming at us, guns on blaze, talking...dare I say it aloud?

Offer! She's talking about a possible offer. A two-book deal no less.

I was, AM, genuinely excited!!

I've banished Bad P to a corner. I don't want her ruining the euphoria of this latest piece of progress.

Still, I can barely get my mind around this because everytime it starts to think about how wonderful this is, how incredibly fulfilling it is to move to the next step in this process, Bad P tries to speak up.

She's pouting, worried about what if's.

What if's should be saved for book plotting, not great news.

Today, there is calm in Neurotica. Not just because Bad P is in a time-out. But because over the last four months I've really learned to obsess less...about writing.

Now with Publisher C, not just in the race, but taking the lead, my mind is oddly at ease.

Rest assured, I have plenty to obsess about outside of getting published. There's losing weight, planning a big press event at work and preparing my squad for last Saturday's competition (we came in 3rd out of six).

The good news for my agent, is she can do what she does while I obsess over these other things.

But who knows, this new calm may lead to a whole new non-obsessive me.

Yeah, right!