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Writing Tips Oasis

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

My Book Deal Moment by Debra Daley

By Novelicious

This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.

Debra DaleyI had written my novel Turning the Stones whenever I could snatch time around my income-earning work as a freelance sub-editor. Since my ‘study’ consisted of a cramped little Ikea table only 60cms x 60cms, I was always looking for places to write. I became fantastic at being able to write anywhere – on buses, in parks – as long as I had earplugs to block out noise. It was a stressful time, but the thing that kept me going was utter belief in my novel. I thought it deserved a book deal and I wanted to remain fully open to the possibility that such a thing would come to pass. Okay, maybe I would be disappointed, but I just could not bear to let those dark little thoughts into my head unless I absolutely had to. (I’ve had a novel rejected in the past, so I was in no hurry to rehearse the pain of that again.) I just told myself, hang on in there, because you are writing yourself out of trouble, girl.

When the landlord finally turfed us out, I was spurred to a final burst of effort and finished the novel in one marathon 12-hour session. I emailed it to my agent. A few days afterwards she sent me a late night message: I LOVE THIS. That was a beautiful moment. I felt a tremendous release of tension. I knew everything would be all right then, even though I still had a big editing pass to do on the manuscript before it was sent out. I lived out of a suitcase while I edited and although I was moving from place to place, it was such a great feeling to know that the book had got written.

I had the good fortune in the end to be able to have a choice of publishers and was very happy to sign a two-book deal with Susan Watt at Heron. I was thrilled, but I couldn’t quite internalise that feeling because I was so exhausted by then.

The real emotional moment for me was when the proof copy of Turning the Stones arrived in the post. I wasn’t expecting it. I opened the package and there was my book, living and breathing. That was when my heart leapt and I really felt that a new chapter of my life was beginning.

Debra Daley's book Turning the Stones is out today.

Filed Under: Alternative Thursday, Debs Carr, My Book Deal Moment

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