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| Celebrate By Furryscaly on Flickr |
My awesome, amazing, talented critique partner, Leigh Ann Kopans signed with Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary! Go check out Leigh Ann's blog to hear the whole story!
Leigh Ann & I meet, as writers do, through a pitch contest. I didn't win the contest, but I got a far more valuable prize - Leigh Ann! I had the pleasure of reading the first manuscript she queried. My husband teased me horribly for reading it on my Kindle while brushing my teeth. If you ever ask, she'll probably talk about how bad it was. It wasn't. I loved it.
Then Leigh Ann wrote ONE. And I cried. I've never wanted to hug a character as much as I want to hug Merrin. Someone, Leigh Ann tapped into that part of me that's still 14 years old and terrified of myself just as much as the world around me. Except that she didn't make that into weakness. She made it into strength. To quote my late night email after I started reading:
"This is one of those books that I love so much that I almost don't want to share because that will make it less "mine" - the last book I remember feeling that way about was A Wind in the Door. It's perfect. It's wonderful. It's heart breaking. This book needs to get published for all those girls who know the world is scary when you're little and who fear the things they want most and try, try, try to be more than ordinary."
Seriously, guys. It's that good! It almost made me want to quit writing because I will never write anything this beautiful and meaningful. Leigh Ann has grown so much as a writer and she has pour heart & soul into this story. And it shows.
But I had no idea why after Leigh Ann's aggressive query flurries and numerous contests (all while caring for 3 kids under 4, with #4 born in April!), she still hadn't been snapped up by an agent.
Now I know. ONE just needed to cross Tricia's desk! It's taken me a day to pull my thoughts together to form a coherent response. I love Leigh Ann, I love ONE and I CANNOT WAIT to see this book on shelves. Or to share it with my daughter once she's old enough to love it like I do.
Congratulations, Leigh Ann! You've worked so hard and come so far! I'm so proud to be you CP!
Leigh Ann & I meet, as writers do, through a pitch contest. I didn't win the contest, but I got a far more valuable prize - Leigh Ann! I had the pleasure of reading the first manuscript she queried. My husband teased me horribly for reading it on my Kindle while brushing my teeth. If you ever ask, she'll probably talk about how bad it was. It wasn't. I loved it.
Then Leigh Ann wrote ONE. And I cried. I've never wanted to hug a character as much as I want to hug Merrin. Someone, Leigh Ann tapped into that part of me that's still 14 years old and terrified of myself just as much as the world around me. Except that she didn't make that into weakness. She made it into strength. To quote my late night email after I started reading:
"This is one of those books that I love so much that I almost don't want to share because that will make it less "mine" - the last book I remember feeling that way about was A Wind in the Door. It's perfect. It's wonderful. It's heart breaking. This book needs to get published for all those girls who know the world is scary when you're little and who fear the things they want most and try, try, try to be more than ordinary."
Seriously, guys. It's that good! It almost made me want to quit writing because I will never write anything this beautiful and meaningful. Leigh Ann has grown so much as a writer and she has pour heart & soul into this story. And it shows.
But I had no idea why after Leigh Ann's aggressive query flurries and numerous contests (all while caring for 3 kids under 4, with #4 born in April!), she still hadn't been snapped up by an agent.
Now I know. ONE just needed to cross Tricia's desk! It's taken me a day to pull my thoughts together to form a coherent response. I love Leigh Ann, I love ONE and I CANNOT WAIT to see this book on shelves. Or to share it with my daughter once she's old enough to love it like I do.
Congratulations, Leigh Ann! You've worked so hard and come so far! I'm so proud to be you CP!
It's funny that we both had the "Oh hell I'm just gonna QUIT WRITING NOW!" response to reading ONE! Lol. Of course, I felt that way after reading yours too. <3
ReplyDeleteI was privileged to receive ONE on my Kindle and I am dying dying to read it but am saving it for my subway commute for my first day of work next week! I'm definitely a little afraid of the "Oh God, if someone out there writes this well I should just give up now" feeling!! So freaking happy for Leigh Ann, and absolutely obsessed with what a perfect pair she and Tricia make!!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting!!! Congratulations to Leigh Ann! :D Can't wait to see ONE on shelves--it sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteOh, Jenny. Words can't express how grateful I am to have you in my life. I'll never forget telling my husband I was going grocery shopping so I could hide out in my car on a weekend and finished your MS. Which basically means - I'm flattered that you think One is good writing, because I swoon over yours!
ReplyDeleteStrong heroines, strong girls. *high five* Let's DO THIS.
(LOVE YOU SWEETIE. SO MUCH.)
Just read the query and 1st 250 from the Writer's Voice contest, and all I can say is, "Wow!"
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
Love this post, jenny. I'm also a fan of Leigh Ann's and blogged about her agent success. Here's to hoping all of her CPs soon follow. :-)
ReplyDelete