Watch any movie about an accident, and good cinematography will play the scene in slow motion. This is what it felt like as I sailed through air. I was aware of everything – the feeling of weightlessness before I landed, watching my dad drive away, believing he’d never know I was gone and I’d be lost forever.
This personal essay was rejected from an anthology, but not from my blog! Check it out, plus everything the judge’s had to say about it.
A few years ago, I wrote a book called Turtle Treasure as my NaNoWriMo novel. I never published it, but it was a fun and non-serious novel about adventure in the face of deep-seated fears. This is an adapted excerpt from that novel, and it recently won a prize in a short story contest.
#1. You won’t get to quit your day job
I think we all can agree that this year has been a whirlwind of a year. Now, no one wanted to claim 2021 to be “their year,” but let’s be honest – we were thinking it. I mean, anything had to be better than 2020, right? But here we are at the end of 2021, and, well….
Ruby looked up, feeling her face grow hot as Brayden looked down at her, his face relaxed into that same irresistible smile he’d shoot at her in the hallways at school, the one he shot at everyone, the one that made her want to hide behind lockers or stay in the girls bathroom for all of lunch.
Buoy jumped out of the truck, a blur of reddish blonde fur as he raced in my direction. I dropped to my knees as the golden retriever reached me. He jumped around, his tail wagging against all my tomatoes as he soaked up my love.
I came into this traditional publishing journey expecting rejection. But I still had hopes I was wrong.
When authors tell you that the querying process is a waiting game, they’re not joking.
