Alright y’all. It’s time I get serious.
To be honest, I have not been keeping myself in peak shape. I’ve been sitting back, worry free, letting my index finger accumulate pudge.
In the many, many months before I signed with my agent, my index finger worked out constantly. I probably refreshed my inbox once every two minutes. And don’t think that only applied to time spent in front of my computer, because Nate made the fatal mistake of equipping me with an iPhone, and that means I never have to leave my email behind.
So yeah, basically I challenge anyone to prove that their finger was more in shape than mine at the height of my neuroticism. You can’t. I promise.
But then came the signing. I had an agent and there was nothing to magically appear in my inbox. Yes, I know, scary. I had to spend that time actually writing.
But don’t worry. I understand that lack of exercise can lead to serious health problems. So to fix this problem, my agent has graciously agreed to submit my project to publishers starting next week.
This week I’m preparing by stretching, cracking knuckles, and trying to resist saying “Pull my Finger,” a precaution that stems from the fact that folks might get the wrong idea.
It’s going to be tough, though. However, I have every confidence that, when the time comes, I’ll be ready to refresh like nobody’s business.
Don’t be a skeptic. I ran the Rocky steps.
See?
Why is this necessary? You ask. Why is this so crucial to my writing career? Well, I’m here to dispell a commonly held misconception. No matter what “non-writers” tell you about the virtues of patience, if you find out news ten minutes after it was made available to you…the world will end. No question.
So, please, I invite y’all to hold me accountable. And if I knew how to attach an iTunes song to my blog post, I would. I would play “Eye of the Tiger” 87% of my existence.
Now, I’m off to burn my .0021 calories.
***Reminder***
You’ve got until Saturday to comment for a chance to win this awesome book:
I’m looking at it sitting on my breakfast table right now and am sad to be giving both copies away. Good thing I like you guys.
“Unexpectedly denied a Visa to remain in the United States, Qanta Ahmed, a young British Muslim doctor, becomes an outcast in motion. On a whim, she accepts an exciting position in Saudi Arabia. This is not just a new job; this is a chance at adventure in an exotic land she thinks she understands, a place she hopes she will belong.
“What she discovers is vastly different. The Kingdom is a world apart, a land of unparalleled contrast. She finds rejection and scorn in the places she believed would most embrace her, but also humor, honesty, loyalty and love.
“And for Qanta, more than anything, it is a land of opportunity. A place where she discovers what it takes for one woman to re-create herself in the land of invisible women.”
More importantly, don’t forget that tomorrow, October 31st is your last day her book will be available for download to any LibraryThing member (membership is free). It will be followed up a week later (Nov. 10th) with two weeks of author chat—meaning that every week-night for two weeks, readers can post questions for Qanta on the LibraryThing website which she will then attempt to answer.
Make sure to take advantage of any free books. I live by that rule.
