The best news ever!!! (or at least pretty dog-gone close!) (pun intended).

I went to the 2008 Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference in Colorado Springs, last weekend, and pitched to an agent. Even better, I went to a class she gave on Christian Writing before I pitched to her. She was awesome! The class was fantastic, informative, and I can’t tell you how great it was to see a Christian agent speak so unabashedly about Jesus Christ.

The best thing about the class for me was when she brought up how some writers ask her about the requirement in Christian writing for there to be an issue of faith. Rachelle answered with my exact thoughts on the subject. Where some think faith being in the story is confining and burdensome, she sees it as liberating. It was cool, I actually mouthed the words with her when she said, she found that being able to speak about faith in writing gave her a huge sense of freedom. 

How very true.

I decided I wanted her as my agent then and there. I had already pitched to two other agents the first day of the conference, and they both agreed to see sample chapters. I had also gotten a request for the first fifty pages from another agent I had sent a cold query to just prior to attending the conference, and another request on my e-mail when I got back.

I decided to ignore all of these and concentrate on this agent. But how to get her? I decided to cheat.

I prayed. Hey, all’s fair in love, war and getting your novel published.

The agent was Rachelle Gardner (WordServe Literary Group), and she was incredibly professional and kind to an unknown writer (me).

At my pitch session she made me feel at ease and it was wonderful to talk writing with a fellow Christian. She requested the first fifty pages.

As soon as I got home I started working on my book (which I had already considered polished). Of course as soon as I looked at it I almost screamed when the very first line sounded stupid. For the next week I went over the entire manuscript, thinking the whole thing stunk.

Strange how knowing someone who actually knows something about writing is going to see your work puts a different perspective on things.

Finally my wife (who I had put into indentured servitude editing my rewrites) said enough. She said If I messed with the story anymore it would turn into a gray blob of ink, like an over worked painting.

Wiping the sweat from my brow (I had to wring the towel out twice) I sent off the first fifty pages.

The very first thing all writing books say about proposals, synopsis, and query letters is that you have to be certain to put your phone number and other vital information on at least the first page, so that in the unlikely event an agent wants to get in touch with you they can.

I, of course, left off any way to contact me at all. Luckily I had sent it via e-mail, so there was my return e-mail address on the proposal.

Mrs. Gardner was kind enough to ignore my ineptitude and requested my phone number.

She called a short time later on my home phone (because I had typed the wrong number to my cell phone which connected her to an elderly man in Aurora with a heavy Russian accent and a hearing aid whose battery was running low) and took me on as a client.

WHOO-HOO!!!

I have an agent—I have an agent—I have an agent! And not just any agent but the one I wanted. A Christian agent who will put God first, and revels in Christian writing.

Okay, I’m a little excited—must cool down. Must gain control. After all, I have to go over my manuscript again before I send it to her.

Here it is and … what? Oh wait, I didn’t type that. I couldn’t have. What—was I out of my mind? It looks like a third grader wrote this!! (a dyslexic third grader with a speech impediment in his fingers). Help! Hellllllllp!

Where’s my wife?