Get Between the Bookends? DONE!

It's crazy. The goal of many writers is to write the post. And now that I'm sitting down to do that, I'm just staring at my screen...

Write something Kelley.

I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED BY SAPPHIRE STAR PUBLISHING!!!

Well that was subtle...

Want to hear how it went down? If not you can stop reading here. :)

I declared myself a 'serious writer' on July 18th, 2011. I had recently completed a manuscript I dabbled with while finishing college. Once I was done I thought, that was fun. Now what?

Maybe I should get it published!

HA!

I queried my first manuscript, a YA Dystopian (those poor agents) and after no success, wrote two more that had little success as well (YA Contemporary and YA Thriller). Then came a wonderful event called NaNoWriMo. I began NaNo with a YA Contemporary manuscript but I just wasn't feeling it. So on my way back from a business trip I opened my laptop and wrote the first chapter of what is now, FRACTION OF STONE, a YA Fantasy.

Ten days later I typed 'the end'.

Granted, even though it took only ten days to write, it took much longer to edit. FRACTION OF STONE started making the query rounds January, 2012. I queried it hard for a number of months. There were many requests for partials, a few for fulls. Most agents came back with, "This is a great story with great writing, but epic fantasies are hard sells for me right now."

Bummer.

So I moved on. Wrote a collaboration project, ALREADY THERE with the amazing Jen Morris. Also cranked out the first draft of a YA Science Fiction, THE CRICKET PROJECT.

About two months ago, a good blogging buddy and writing friend, Sharon Bayliss held a contest on her blog for a small publisher. Both manuscripts I was working on weren't ready so I dusted off FRACTION and submitted it. A full was requested but ultimately didn't fit the portfolio for the small publisher.

Bummer.

Okay, clearly there was just no place for my YA Fantasy other than the hard drive on my computer. I told my CPs FRACTION had seen its last submission. I had others in the works. It was time to move on.

They told me I shouldn't give up on it. That it was a great story. Cassie Mae even sent me an email that had only this in it:

"Oh please don't give up on Fraction. It's totally one of my favorite books I've ever read."

I was like. Whoa? Really? One of your favorites EVER?

Well, I couldn't let them down so...

Carrie Butler announced she had signed a contract with Sapphire Star Publishing. After I congratulated her, I popped over to the website and thought, this is a really neat publisher. I wonder if FRACTION could find a home here? So I submitted. 

A little later Amy, one of the co-owners of SSP, emailed me saying she was 'truly impressed' and would love to have the full manuscript. Two weeks later, I received an email from her. Certain it was another 'the writing is good, just doesn't fit what we're looking for', I opened the email, ready to file it in the 'past submissions' folder in my inbox.

But the email didn't say FRACTION wouldn't fit. In fact it said:

"If you are interested, I would like to send you a contract offer for you to look over."

WHAT?!?!?!

To be honest, I'm still in a place of disbelief. It was such a bumpy road to get here and now that it's happening... wow. But I'm thrilled. I can't wait for editors to rip it apart so we can build it again and make it better. I can't wait for it to be in people's hands! Crazy.

And it won't be long until it's in reader's hands. FRACTION OF STONE is scheduled to be released on March 7th, 2013!!!

BIG THANKS to the CPs who put there red ink on this story (all versions of it). Theresa Paolo, Cassie Mae, Jen Morris, Hope Roberson, Jade Hart, Angie Cothran, Leigh Covington and Jess Salyer. 

Thanks to my sister for her understanding when I pretend like I'm listening to her even though I'm typing away at my computer, lost in whatever world I'm creating at that moment.

Thanks to all of you in the blogosphere. Every post and every comment is so much appreciated. 

Last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU to SAPPHIRE STAR PUBLISHING for taking a chance on my work. So far, this experience has been nothing but amazing.