Yesterday I got a phone call from my husband. He called to let me know that he’d been
rear-ended. He was unharmed. His precious truck showed no visible
damage. Her car though, didn’t fair well against
his big GMC bumper. The young
woman was very apologetic and shaken up over the ordeal. My husband made a joke about how this could
be a great way to pick up people if you were single. (I
rolled my eyes.) They exchanged information.
She apologized again. As they
parted she said, almost half jokingly, “Well, if you ever have a need for a literary
agent.” O_o
Cue the dropped jaw.
Um, yeah. I was
floored by this, too.
He told her, well, actually my wife is an aspiring
writer.
After he told me what happened, the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh my god, what was her
name? What agency is she with? You didn’t offend her, did you, honey?”
He laughed.
Of course, my mind went down the same path as you guys. Wouldn’t that be an awesome “How I Got My
Agent” story. But the bigger message
came in loud and clear. It was like the
universe whispered in my ear You’re ready. As I wrap up the last of the editing for my book, I hope to be querying next
month. There are a lot of times as a
writer I’m filled with self doubt. Lately,
none of that. I am ready. I’ve been ready. I know I’m ready to take this writing
thing to the next level. And the universe knows it too.
As for the agent, will I be querying her? Wouldn’t that be a great “personal
connection” to add in my query letter. I told myself, unless she
is already on my list, I will not query her until after I’ve queried the other
agents. I want someone to give me a
chance because they love my work, and not because they feel obligated for rear-ending
my hubby. Silly, I know, but I need my
writing to be accepted on merit. I need
the validation.
Unfortunately, there will never be this cute tale of “How I
Got My Agent in a Fender Bender.” I
looked her up, and her agency represents literary fiction, not YA.
Disappointed? No. What the universe told me was more powerful. It confirmed I am in the place I should be
and I’m heading in the right direction. For
me, the situation represented a giant flashing arrow, lighting my path.