Good News Tuesday

Today looked as if it would suck hard core.

I sent off a full of Secrets of Skin and Stone yesterday which put me in a lousy mood... the husband can attest to this. Actually, most of Twitter could probably attest to this too. (I wasn't in a very good mood yesterday.) I blamed it on all kinds of things. I complained on Twitter that my February was getting crowded. My week is filling up faster than I could handle. Everything felt like it was conspiring against me. The reality was: I was stressed about Secrets of Skin and Stone getting a poor reception... and it was too close to my heart for that.

I mean, I hadn't even really planned on querying Secrets of Skin and Stone... but the beta comments were coming back so positive so I started thinking... maybe. I'd mentioned it off-hand to this agent and she'd asked for a look at it, so that was that.... but querying? Yikes. First I'd revise Curse Me A Story for the agent I'd just sent Secrets of Skin and Stone... and then I'd think about querying.

Maybe.

Then, I thought about how horrible it would be to have agents tell me my book about a teenager with OCD stunk. HORRIBLE. It would rip out my heart and stomp on it.

And I wondered why I'd hit send... and I wanted to take it back.

Then, I thought maybe I was meant to write books that wanted to rip my heart out and stomp on it.

Or not.

But maybe.

I should keep it to myself.

No, if it was good, I should query it.

But maybe it wasn't good....

But the betas all said it was good....

I'd gone through this roughly a kajillion times since hitting send.

No. Really. Don't underestimate how obsessive a person with OCD can be. We can kick your butt in obsession... twice... or thrice in my case, because I'd never just do something twice.

When I'm stressed out, my OCD goes nuts... and my schedule and familiarity are EVERYTHING. I don't want to be forced to be around people or do things. I don't want to make phone calls. I don't want things scheduled or the few things I do regularly to be bumped. I just want to do "my thing."

Today, "my thing" was not happening. I had a phone call interview from someone I know on the difficulties of adhering to a special diet. (It was a school project.) I hate talking on the phone for the most part... and when she'd called the night before to arrange the interview... her phone had a nasty echo. Everything I said was flung back at me. I hate that. My eye was twitching by the end... it was my own private hell. So, the full hour before this phone call I spent obsessing over what I'd say if her phone had that echo. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I couldn't even handle it for two minutes... let alone twenty to thirty. I'd be a freaking wreck. Finally, the phone call rolled around and there was no echo and it went just fine.

Then, I felt stupid for obsessing about the echo... but hey... don't judge me.

The rest of the day looked crappy for doing "my thing" also.

My Tuesday running got bumped by a later appt, but it was Tuesday so I was determined to go running. I would just do it earlier. This made me feel "grr"... a lot. I was pissy... and I was wearing my knee brace because my left knee has been funky.

I failed to take into account that the garbage trucks had just been by.

(Some strange events like this are crucial, so don't knock my pointing it out.)

The second I opened Nanaimo's gate, he bolted... and I mean... bolted. He "eventually" came when I called, but it was like he was on doggie crack... he was so spun out of control by the plethora of scents around from the truck. So. Spun. Out. So, we went for our walk. I won't call it a run... my knee was too squishy and my brace makes my gait funky. After we got out of the neighborhood, Nanaimo clued in to my injury and stopped trying to rip my arm out of the socket. (He's a really smart dog that way... it's part of the reason he's been so good to have with our kids being Autistic. He's always barked when they cry or when he thinks they're in trouble. That's right... he's as good as Lassie... our kids just don't fall down wells.)

About 3/4th the way through our six-mile route, we were met at the end of a driveway by two big dogs. Two VERY big dogs. Nanaimo sniffed them politely but stayed on the road beside me. Suddenly, one of them snarled and lunged for his neck! Nanaimo, luckily, moved faster and jumped back. I screamed and shouted and jumped towards it while waving my hands. The mean dog took off with his nasty little buddy. This isn't the first time we've been attacked by dogs, but it's been a while and I was hoping people were more responsible. So, I finished slogging home. It was our longest "run" ever and miserable and I was just pissed at the world by the time I got home.

Plus, I'd taken so long that I needed to quickly shower and run out the door to this appt which had bumped my run. I decided to check my email to see if my friend had cancelled this appt. I figured the universe had it out for me so that would be just my luck.

Lo and behold... there was an email.

Not just any email.

An email from the agent I'd sent the full to... barely 24 hours previously.

When your friends tell you they couldn't stop reading a book of yours... it's exciting.

When an agent can't stop reading a book you wrote... it's exciting and you feel like a rock star.

I've replied back and I'm waiting but, as you can imagine... life feels better than it did when I slogged in the door after walking Nanaimo.

I've decided getting good news on Tuesday can be a new "thing" for me and I might not mind if it messes up my schedule.

BTW, in other news, my son has decided my knee brace looks like a championship belt when he wears it. He wore it for the rest of the day and only took it off at bedtime.

So, really, we were both champions. It's our "thing."