“Okay, so my latest writers’ conference is done as well as that umpteenth shower and birthday, I’ve got the Song of the Sea review ready, so all that’s left is to whip out the last three paragraphs of the Ratatouille review and finally post it as well as make headway with Faerie Tale Theatre -”
“…”
“Bob? Whatcha got there?”
“An email about your latest book query.”
“Don’t tell me, ‘Thank you but it’s not a good fit, you’ll find an agent who matches your writing elsewhere’?”
“They want the book.”
“…say what?”
“They enjoyed the book and are offering you representation! You got an agent! Do you know what this means?! Shelf…you’re on your way to being published!”

Guys, this is big. Really big. Not so big that the world is sunshine and rainbows but enough to validate me running around the house like Kevin doing my best excited Kermit imitation. How did this come about? Back in June, Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary liked a pitch I made for my book through #PitMad. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a day-long event on Twitter where authors advertise their unpublished stories for that one in a million chance that an agent or editor will notice them and want to sign them on. Since an agent liking a pitch means you get the ok to query them, I went ahead and did so but didn’t expect much of a response. Much like Shrek, I thought love and getting an agent through PitMad were only true in fairy tales, meant for someone else but not for me. But then I saw her email and now I’m a believer.

I’ve queried my books on my own for at least four years now and have had nothing to show for it, but an agent means you’ve got your foot in the door. An agent means people are open to seeing what you’ve got. Now, it could take weeks to get a publisher, it could take months, it could be even longer than that, but for the first time in ages, I’m highly optimistic about my future as a writer and illustrator in my chosen field. I’ve turned a corner and the road ahead seems clearer than ever.

Ratatouille will be served in a day or so. Until then…I GOT AN AGENT YAAAAAAAY!!!