The Mailbox Dance

Before I get to the subject at hand I have to tell you I am sitting here in a stunning outfit. My sons waited to pick out what I wore today and I sort-of agreed (with the ability to play mean mom and say no). Out came a shirt that was acceptable--dusty blue with three-quarter length sleeves, perfect for the weather. I agreed to wear it and next thing you know they have presented me with a pair of strappy glittery high-heeled sandals. "I'm not wearing those shoes." "Why not?" "Because I am a mother and I'm not wearing high heels to clean house all day." "But they match." And they do. Perfectly. So for the moment (until I go out in public) I am wearing my blue tee shirt, blue jeans, and sparkley blue high heeled sandals. I made quite the picture this morning as I scrambled eggs. I'd be a mother in the fifties if, you know, I wore a shirtwaist and my shoes were more conservative. LOL!

There has been a lot of talk lately about the mailbox dance. And I do it. Shoot, the only acceptance letter I ever got DID come in the SASE. And I got a rejection in very fancy publishing house stationery. You never know. But since most of my proposals were sent out electronically, I expect my rejections to come back electronically, therefore I'd get jittery when I checked my email if I didn't get fifty messages a day. Truth be told, I don't expect rejections in the mail, I expect good things like all the free books that I've won on various blogs this month. I've decided that if I was going to play the lotto, this would have been my month. I won something like three books this month. Marilynn Griffith's PINK, Tamara Leigh's STEALING ADDA, and Denise Hunter's FINDING FAITH. Waaaa-Hooooo!

But even better, this week I got my first words in print in the mail. I did a review for Book Talk News for Siri Mitchell's Something Beyond the Sky (great book) and I got my copy of the newsletter. The review is anonymous. My name is no where on the newsletter, but I know that I wrote it. I kind of floated all day. Now the article I sold to Focus on the Family Magazine November 2004 (not a typo) has never been printed. When I signed the "first printing rights" I didn't know I'd have to sit on it forever, but hey, I got paid. It gets tricky though, when I try to say what I've done. "I've written an anonymous review for a cafe newsletter and I was paid for an article that never got printed and I was a finalist in a contest that for the most part people couldn't figure out why and flamed me as a person." Nevertheless, I have words in print!

Waiting expectantly by my mailbox for the next manila envelope.

Hey, I heard that an editor stopped by a couple days ago and thought I could write. So if you are out there....I've got a proposal to send you. VBG. Durn it, why don't I have a link to my synopsis when it really matters? Could it be that I am technologically inept and can't even figure out how to set up those edit-me links on the side of my blog? Where is my husband???? This is critical!

I have a problem. Im reading too many books at once. I started Hearts Under Construction, but Bet Me came in at the library so I put down the one I owned for the one I had to return. I finished Bet Me but by then Streiker's Bride came in at the library so I started it. And then yesterday Finding Faith came in. Well I NEEDED to read that one so I started it. I figure I can finish Finding Faith before the day is out if my kids will go play outside. How I love spring weather.

Go read a book, it keeps your mind young.