THE CALL - Yeah, That One
Okay, the title of this one probably gives it away. So what. I’ll only get The Call, that first sale, once so indulge me while I ramble on about it for one full blog entry. Here we go….
At approximately 3:00 p.m. - okay, at exactly 3:03 p.m., who am I kidding - on Friday, May 6, 2005 I got a call while sitting at my little desk in my little office. Kate Duffy, editor extraordinaire for Kensington and specifically for the Brava line I’ve been targeting for what feels like 80 years but is more like 18 months, was on the phone. I didn’t get too excited since I actually expected a follow-up call from her to discuss what she didn’t like about a novella submission we talked about a few weeks earlier - doesn’t that sound like a fun conversation to wait on. We had planned to talk again, then she went to the RT Convention, leaving me to obsess and whine in her absence. Be happy I did that in private. It was not attractive.
The conversation at 3:03 p.m. went like this:
Kate: HelenKay?
Me: Uh-huh (I now know this is about as eloquent as I can be while on the phone with Kate)
Kate: This is The Call… (I’m sure she said something else after that but I have no freaking idea what it could have been)
Kate: HelenKay?
Me: <<screaming, possibly some weeping>>>
Kate: <<wincing, possibly a gasp of pain>>
Once we got through this mess, she continued to talk. She made sense, I’m sure, because she’s smart and professional and all those things an editor is supposed to be. I, on the other hand, couldn’t string string words together into anything that resembled a coherent sentence. Never finished a thought and, you know, forgot to use verbs. I’m pretty sure I even used the word "humpfrickt" but, again, I can’t really remember because my brain went into full-stop shutdown mode. I may have agreed to sell a novella for one of those $15 Starbucks gift cards. It’s also quite possible I am now contractually obligated to drive 5 hours to Kate’s house every other week to clean it. I’ll have to check the fine print once the contract arrives at my door.
So, after a weekend hooked to a valium drip and a follow-up call to Kate this morning, I can report something that sounds like a book deal. My debut novella will be in a Brava April ‘06 anthology release called When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys with Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy. Yeah, how’s that for a line-up… those two, not me.
There are a few administrative matters to be cleared up. First, my non-violent stalking of Kate Duffy can now end. I’m not saying it worked, mind you, but I’m not in jail which means she picked the more favorable option to get me to leave her alone. Second, someone out there has promised a retraction of this obviously wrong-headed, blasphemous anti-anthology post.
May 9th, 2005 at 9:43 am
OMG! OMG! OMG!!! Congratulations HK! That is so awesome, especially as you are in an antho with 2 of your fav authors. Woo-hoo!!!!
May 9th, 2005 at 9:53 am
Again, many, many congratulations! I can’t wait! Give me two minutes on that retraction:D
May 9th, 2005 at 10:07 am
WOO HOO!!!!! Congratulations, lady! That’s SO awesome, and how you managed to survive the weekend without posting to your blog about it is beyond me! *g*
Yayayayayay!!!!!!!
May 9th, 2005 at 10:15 am
Woo-hoo!!!!!! What did I tell you??? Didn’t I tell you?? Huh? Huh?
How thrilling for you! And to be in an anthology with those two… wow! That’s just amazing! Congratulations!
May 9th, 2005 at 10:40 am
EEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (Waving my cowboy hat in around in the air)
May 9th, 2005 at 10:51 am
Wow! That’s wicked awesome!
Huge congratulations, HelenKay, and OMG at that line-up! You lucky…woman! *g*
May 9th, 2005 at 11:03 am
Hey, no fair! I only got a $5 Starbucks card! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! What a SUPER launch to your career!!!
May 9th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Congrats HelenKay!!
I love The Call stories.
Seriously - how did you make it through the weekend without posting this!?
May 9th, 2005 at 11:52 am
Congratulations!
No, the fine print isn’t to clean her house, it’s to clean mine.
I’ll expect you next week–bring your own vacuum.:)
M
May 9th, 2005 at 11:58 am
Congratulations! I’ve never posted here before, but I’ve been visiting daily after having “found” you via one of the other blogs I visit, and I just wanted to pop in and tell you how very happy I am for you. I’ll be looking for your anthology when it comes out, and I may just settle in to read it with a big old Starbucks’ coffee in hand.
Again, big smile at this end in response to tears of joy at your end!
Lene’
May 9th, 2005 at 12:22 pm
Fuckin’ SWEET. Congratulations, HelenKay.
And now this means I’ll finally have an excuse to read something by Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy.
May 9th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
Wow, wow, wow, wow! Congrats! Loved your first call report, I’m so glad my first call came via email. It allowed me to be fairly coherent in response. Otherwise I’m sure I would be getting paid in Starbucks giftcards. ; ) Hooray for you, can’t wait for your Bad Boy debut!
May 9th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Thank you all! It was a looooong weekend of not posting my news. The tubs of champagne I downed certainly helped to get me through….as did the 56 emails to Wendy, Alison and Sylvia.
May 9th, 2005 at 12:53 pm
Wow. Big Wow! Congratulations on your sale. I can only imagine how satisfying it must feel to have achieved such a milestone in your career. Happy celebrating (well, happy more celebrating!)
May 9th, 2005 at 1:24 pm
Fantastic news! Congratulatons, HelenKay!
May 9th, 2005 at 1:24 pm
HUGE congrats! Keep your attitude! I love it. *g*
May 9th, 2005 at 2:10 pm
Larissa sent me over. What a fantastic Call story! Congrats and best of luck!
Joely
May 9th, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Congratulations, HelenKay!! Wonderful, wonderful news. I look forward to looking for this on the shelves and bringing it home to read.
Way to go!
May 9th, 2005 at 2:45 pm
Fantastic! Oh BOY I can’t wait to read it.
May 9th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
PS You’re going to have to change your blog’s name.
May 9th, 2005 at 3:03 pm
Congrats! Welcome to the club.
May 9th, 2005 at 3:13 pm
Huge hugs, chocolate wishes, and champagne toasts!!!
May 9th, 2005 at 3:13 pm
I would be thrilled if your contest entry had anything to do with this!!
Congrats!!!
May 9th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
Thanks for the kind words folks!
Walt - She didn’t buy the Lori Foster contest entry. We talked about what she did and didn’t like, she asked me to send something else and that follow-up is the one that will be released in 4/06. We are still arguing over the merits of the contest entry
It is clear Kate recognized my name because of Lori’s contest - Kate’s memory is somewhat spooky in my view - and my climb to the top of the slush pile went faster because of being a finalist. So, I do credit Lori for a huge assist in helping me get published and in getting my name in front of Kate.
May 9th, 2005 at 3:24 pm
Super congrats on your call, HelenKay! What a humorous, uplifting blog entry! And yep, now you’ll have to change your blog title. *grin*
May 9th, 2005 at 4:05 pm
Helen:
Yeah, I privately wondered about that. All of the finalists got serious consideration by Kate, I do know that. I think it’s fantastic that you had the brilliance to come back and got something else to Kate rather than trying to polish and re-polish the perceived glitches in your contest entry.
We were going through the stuff in the garage the other day, and ran across a plaque… The VERY FIRST
MICA award given to my wife, and hell… they even named it after her. I still don’t know how winning an award gets to have the thing named after you… She went on to publish 20 something books, and well…
I asked her… “What happened to this entry?”
Her answer? “Nothing.”
Sure enough, the entry is stashed in another box in the garage with all of her other partly-started book ideas, most likely never to be touched by human hands again…
May 9th, 2005 at 5:14 pm
Congratulations! This is great news!
May 9th, 2005 at 5:25 pm
Major congrats, HK and what a sweet debut to have with two really strong authors.
May 9th, 2005 at 5:27 pm
Congrats! That is wonderful, I am so excited for you and I don’t even write. Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy, not a bad way to start. Can’t wait to read it.
May 9th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
In the immortal words of Ice Cube, it’s on like Donkey Kong. (That’s for the kids out there searching for old school gangsta rap to find you on Technorati, but know that it’s quite the platitude from frumpy jewish guys, too.)
May 9th, 2005 at 5:39 pm
My dearest was kind enough to refrain from mentioning that, when she called to tell me the news, my cell was set to vibrate (which it NEVER IS), and was sitting on the passenger seat of my car. Whoops. Though they befit the occasion, I’ll refrain from using phrases like “props”, “dawg pound”, “shout out” and the like. Congratulations will have to suffice, along with a promise that I will drive you to all of your local book signings. I’m very proud of you.
May 9th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
WOOOO HOOOOO!!! Congrats on your sale! May it be just the first of many!
May 9th, 2005 at 6:19 pm
WHOOHOOO!!
Way to go HelenKay!! I’m so happy fro you! Your stalkign has paid off! *ggg*
This is a great debut! I can’t wait to read it!
May 9th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
Congratulations!! LOL! This is great news for stalkers everywhere (you will be mine, Joss Whedon)! *g*
Fantastic news — I can’t wait to read it!
May 9th, 2005 at 9:10 pm
Congratulations, HelenKay, I look forward to seeing your book on the shelves!
May 10th, 2005 at 10:00 am
Yaaaayyy!!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Sorry my hearty and heartfelt congrats are so late. Very cool - I’m so happy for you
Looking forward to seeing that novella!
May 10th, 2005 at 10:04 am
Congratulations.
May 10th, 2005 at 1:01 pm
HelenKay - Wow! Super congratulations!!! I’m so happy for you.
May 10th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Congratulations, HelenKay! I’m just thrilled to hear that perseverance pays off. And to star in an anthology with Erin McCarthy and Lori Foster? What a dream.
Cindy
May 11th, 2005 at 6:40 am
CONGRATULATIONS! Wonderful news.