My sister is about to have a baby. It could happen any day now. I’m sure this baby will be as beautiful, healthy and wonderful as her two big brothers. But the wait is killing me!
Two friends of mine are waiting for answers from editors who have requested their full manuscripts. Their novels are wonderful, engaging and beautifully written. The wait. Is. Killing. Them.
But doesn’t that feeling of waiting for something wonderful to happen make the payoff that much greater? What would life be like if you decided to have a baby one day and it showed up on your doorstep the next? (There’s a REASON why it takes 9 months. It takes that long to wrap your head around the concept. Not that you’re ever READY, per se.)
Would getting a book published without the 50 rejections, months and months of waiting and endless revision be quite as gratifying? (Um, don’t answer that…) 
Being on the brink and waiting to see how things play out is a time filled with tension, hope and anticipation. It’s also the state of mind authors aspire to plunge their readers in when reading their stories. That feeling of sitting on the edge of your seat and wondering how things will turn out is what drives a reader to turn the page and keep reading.
I know the wait is excrutiating, but to my sister and my friends–you’re almost there! You’ve put in the work, you’ve given it your all and I’m sure the payoff will be sweet. Very, very sweet.
Here’s to a beautiful, bouncing baby girl and two beautiful, bouncing baby books!
Bonne chance!
Linda Gerber currently lives in Dublin, Ohio after four years in Japan, where she served as the SCBWI Regional Advisor. She is a mom of 4, a substitute teacher and youth group leader. Oh, and a writer.
She currently has two YA releases out – SASS: NOW AND ZEN and SASS: THE FINNISH LINE, both with Puffin/Speak.
In May, DEATH BY BIKINI (Puffin/Sleuth) will hit the shelves, followed by DEATH BY LATTE in the fall and DEATH BY DENIM next spring.
Did I mention how much I LOVE this cover???
She also has an essay in THE WORLD OF THE GOLDEN COMPASS anthology (Benbella Books) that came out this fall and another in the upcoming TWILIGHT anthology (also BenBella.)
You can find out more about Linda and her books at www.lindagerber.com
And btw, a fascinating author interview is happening at Compuserve’s Books and Writer’s YA/Children’s forum. So drop in and say hello, post your questions and have fun!
