The Happiest Days Are When You Hear From Your Agent

A few weeks ago, my agent and I sent my editor a completed manuscript and a proposal for two other connected books to my wonderful editor at Harlequin’s Love Inspired line. There’s a lot of adrenaline that goes into this—that rush of finally typing “The End” on a book once and for all. The long months of writing the book, doing edits, and getting everything ready to submit are over.

But then the really long wait begins. Perhaps the longest wait of all as an author. The Waiting to Hear wait.

I felt good about this book and the high-level overview of where we wanted to go over the next year or so with LI. My agent loved the book. In fact, she sent me a note saying she loved it so much she wanted to sign me all over again. Except that the book was a little out of the box for LI.

No pressure.

The official news came two weeks ago. It was a little out of the box, but my agent loved it. And the best part is they have a spot in the schedule in July, so I’m working turbo-speed to get all the little details in to my editor so we can get the book out to readers as soon as possible!

This week, I’m submitting plot summaries so that marketing can write great back cover copy, new titles to grab a reader’s interest, and the Art Facts Sheet to give Harlequin’s art department everything they need to create a wonderful, eye-catching cover (I confess this is one of my favorite things—seeing the cover brought to life, and I think the folks who work on LI covers are the best in the business.) Next week, I’ll submit the final manuscript with requested revisions and a Dear Reader note back to my editor. I told you this was turbo-charged!

For those of you who read Saving Gracie, I hope you’ll enjoy this book—it’s the story of Gracie’s sister Gloria.

Here’s a brief synopsis of Gloria’s story…hopefully it’ll get you to start your own countdown until it hits shelves in July!

Since her husband and son died, nurse-midwife Gloria Garcia Rodriguez has adjusted to living life without assistance from anyone. But when Hurricane Hope comes to Port Provident as a new mother is about to give birth, Gloria knows she must reach out for help—from the one person who’s been there for her life’s biggest heartaches, Chief Rigo Vasquez of the Port Provident Beach Patrol.

Rigo came back to Port Provident to make amends for his mistakes of the past. But he hasn’t known what he could ever do to make things right with his first love, Gloria, until her desperate phone call opens the door. Rigo is honor-bound to keep her safe from the storm, but also the life-changing memories that neither one of them can forget.

As Hurricane Hope lays waste to Port Provident, Rigo and Gloria are forced to begin again. Can they not only rebuild their town, but their love as well?

So…what do you think? Are you as excited about July as I am?

Kristen Ethridge (9 Posts)

I'm an author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance stories of love, laughter and happily ever after and the Mama behind the Real Time Mama blog at www.kristenethridge.com, where I talk about food, family, faith, and fiction. My first book, Saving Gracie, came out from Love Inspired in February 2013 and I'm represented by Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency. A devoted Baylor Bear, I live in North Texas with my husband, two redheads, and a self-important poodle. I love interacting with readers, so join me on my blog, on my Facebook author page, on Pinterest, and on Twitter.