One of the benefits of going on Tracie Peterson's Winter Writers' Retreat was that she invited her editors, Dave and Sarah Long to spend a day and a half with us. We submitted ahead of time and then either Dave or Sarah offered to have appointments with us at the retreat.
My writing pal, Jeri Odell, and I had one of the earlier appointments with Sarah, so we didn’t have time to get nervous. Sometimes meeting editors has that effect on me. Typically I come to the table with a stomach ache. But Sarah Long made it easy to chat with her. She’s smiley, bubbly, and she finds something positive in every manuscript she reads.
Jeri and I had submitted a project on which we are both writing about two characters who are soon to be mothers-in-law. They hate each other at first, as each woman is from a different part of the country, and they feel they have nothing in common – except their love for their children.
Sarah Long and me------->
Sarah told us that she read to distinct voices (good!) and that she thought our story was actually “too real.” Jeri and I decided that was good too, although it took some internalizing for us to come to that conclusion. Everyone has a mother or mother-in-law and, as Christians, we love and respect those who are part of our families – even through marriage. Even so, humorous events can arise.
While Sarah spoke with us about our submission, she laughed a little (another good sign, since we have comedic scenes in the manuscript). But at the end of the day, she just didn’t feel it was a good fit for Bethany House. (Bummer!) You see, ours isn’t a romance, it’s not historical, and it’s not really a mystery and those are the categories, which Bethany House is seeking.
Jeri asked Sarah about contemporary romance – where the romance drives the story, and Sarah agreed to look at it. After all these years of fighting romance and only turning out plot-driven romance, Bethany House has jumped on the band wagon. They are seeking contemporary romance. Hallelujah! Now there’s something I know how to write!
So what's the scariest editorial appointment you ever had a writer's conference or retreat?
I appreciated the detailed handouts from which I learned the daily schedule for an urban gentry housewife as well as a “tweeny.” I’m not referring to kids within the ages of 10 and 13, rather a tweeny in Victorian times was a maid who worked “between the stairs,” both downstairs with the cook and parlor maid and upstairs with the family. She ran up and down all day long.
In short, Cathy’s discussions, which spanned a couple of hours in the afternoons of two retreat days, whet my curiosity even more for this bygone era. I was also reminded, although I know from experience, that many, many hours go into researching a historical novel.
