On Thursday, I received the long awaited (in reality it was only six weeks) response to the manuscript I entered into the Harlequin Love Inspired From Blurb to Book contest. While I didn’t receive “The Call” offering me a contract, I am very happy with the response to my entry.
In the email I received, the editor told me how much she enjoyed my voice (writing style), my interesting characters, and the suspense plot that kept her on the edge of her seat. Unfortunately, there were some plot holes that were enough to make the story need extensive revisions, so she was unable to offer a contract. However, she has given me feedback and revision notes and has requested that I revise the manuscript and resubmit it.
For a writer to receive this kind of feedback from an editor is major! Of course the day I received the email I felt very overwhelmed. But fortunately, I have a wonderful support system (family, friends, and a writing community) that immediately set about to make me feel good about the revision request. My cheerleaders are chanting words of encouragement and keeping me motivated so I can power through these revisions.
Now it’s up to me to get the revisions completed and the manuscript sent back to the editor. I got started early this morning by taking my notes to the local barbecue restaurant where I sat in a booth and worked on revisions while enjoying a hearty breakfast that I didn’t have to cook. 🙂
Rhonda Starnes 