This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
It was mid-morning on a weekday in August, and I was standing in the hot, crowded waiting area of Penn Station, about to board a train to head home to D.C., when my cell phone rang. As the crowd surged toward the platform, I stood frozen in placed, getting knocked around by bags and commuters, knowing in the next few minutes my life could change forever. I was almost scared to take the call, because I had no idea what was going to happen next. My literary agent was on the other line, calling to report the results from my meetings with editors in New York who were interested in my debut novel The Opposite of Me.
I could hear the excitement in my agent's voice, and she quickly delivered news that felt like a dream: Greer Hendricks of Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, wanted to publish my novel. I felt like screaming and dancing and hugging all the sweaty commuters around me, but instead I had to rush for my train before it left the station. My cell phone got cut off as I descended the escalator to the platform – I couldn't believe I'd actually hung up on my agent at a time like this! – but I finally managed to get all the details. I remember blinking back tears. I wanted to sound professional, but my voice was all high and squeaky.
The second I hung up the phone, I began to call my family to tell them that the woman who published my favorite author – Jennifer Weiner – was now my editor. I don't think the moment actually sunk in immediately. And in some ways, it still hasn't. Every time I walk into the building that houses Simon&Schuster and Atria, I feel giddy. Whenever my agent, Victoria Sanders, calls me, I get a big smile on my face. And even though Greer and I have done a number of books together – Catching Air is our fifth, and I've just turned in my sixth manuscript – when I glance down at my inbox and see that she has sent me an email my heart gives a little skip of happiness.Sarah's latest novel, Catching Air, is out on May 6.