Manuscript Monday: When, Not “If”

Posted on by travelingmarla
Southern California Writer's Conference agent
Fellow writers and friends, Bethany Lopez, Claudia Whitsitt, Dot Caffrey, Tameri Etherton, and Gayle Carline. I will be telling you about new books by some of these wonderful ladies in upcoming months!

Long story short (really, it might be possible for me today) I received some great input on my manuscript this weekend at the Southern California Writer’s Conference.

An agent I absolutely adore and met at last year’s conference has requested to read the full manuscript. We even had lunch after our one-on-one meeting to discuss markets, titles and that lovely little thing called “platform.”

So now I’m excitedly revising a few key sections and preparing to send in my full manuscript for her to read.

In the meantime, she suggested that I start talking with all of you about my work. Not enough to spoil it, but just a teaser from time to time, or sharing this process of writing, revising, editing, pitching, (etc.) my work. So this is the first of a weekly “Manuscript Monday” to give you pieces of this process and as always, pieces of me.

Southern California Writers Conference agent meetings advance submissions
A great conference followed by a lovely upgrade from Hertz! I was surprised after picking up my keys at the front desk to find this lovely car waiting for me in the Hertz spot. It even has a sunroof. Maybe the weather is really changing…

I met with three agents and two editors this weekend, and having an agent I really have rapport with ask for the full manuscript is an incredible feeling. But I had another highlight: I also received beautiful notes from an editor who believes in the work so much that she ended her critique with a quote about my manuscript, written specifically for use on a book jacket, “for when you have it published” she said, continuing “When, not if.”

Thanks for letting me take a hiatus over the weekend to just focus on networking, meetings and everything conference-related. I look forward to sharing highlights with you over the next week. I’ll be blogging this week from Los Angeles, meeting a few friends and going to one or two writing groups I attended when we lived here.

Love, Marla

P.S. Since my pants are still falling down, I’ll take that as a sign I kept myself occupied with much more important things than calories over the weekend. Maybe I’ll go hit muscle beach for my next weights day…

34 thoughts on “Manuscript Monday: When, Not “If””

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  4. Congratulations! So proud of you Cuz! You, your hard work and perseverance are a great inspiration to many! Thank you!

  5. WOW that is fabulous! I had no idea you were working on a book, but it certainly doesn’t surprise me. Can’t wait to hear more as your journey continues.

    1. Thanks. Yeah I guess I really don’t talk about my writing all that much. Hopefully manuscript mondays will be interesting for people to read about the path and progress of it.

  7. Pssssh…I knew it. 😉 Seriously, I did know it—you were totally going to come out of that with some good, good news. =) Congrats, Marla!

    1. 😀 Thanks, Kris. It means so much more work, and I’m so gooberly excited for that. Of course, it would help if I could be as prolific as you with your recent zillion words in 30 days or whatever that was. Sheesh – talk about cool.

      1. That was an anomaly. In fact, I must have been drunk. Anyway, hey! That’s a bunch of work you want to be doing! Congrats again! =D

  9. So proud of you, Auntie M! You’ve worked so long and hard to get where you are, and you deserve nothing but the best of everything! I’m so glad to call you my aunt, and my friend! Love you super muchly!

  10. I’m not at all surprised by the interest. You earned it with hard work, talent and skill. xoxo

  12. That’s so great, Marla, and nice to feel rewarded for all the work you’ve put in. I still think about what you said about how the hardest workers, the ones who don’t give up, are the ones who will get published in the end.

  14. That’s awesome! And I’m so proud of you for keeping it short, something I struggle with, too. But you already knew that. ; )

  17. Wow…that really was short…sounds wonderful, though, that you are moving forward…i look forward to reading the published work.

    1. Yes, I think I set a new blogging record for myself with this. Then topped it with the even shorter LAX Night Light. I’m on a roll. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll just post a photo!

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