Thursday 16 September 2010

Trepi-citement!

Pic from the vey vey funny "Savage Chicken" people
When I wrote my first book (listen to me - first book FFS! - which you can read the opening chapter of up there on one of those tab thingies, btw - called "LABRATS") I needed a word which didn't exist, which meant a  mixture of Amazed and Disappointed - which is how my main character (actually a very badly disguised Real Me) made her father (an equally poorly disguised if you ever had the delight to meet my Dad...) look. So, "Amazappointed" was born.
And I'm delighted that this word is still one which a couple of fellow writers remember from those halcyon days - before they were even published authors.  They know who they are and they rock; I love it when I've written something that stays in someone's mind.  It makes me feel like I've done something a bit special.
Which is what it's all about really.


So... the made-up word for today is Trepicitement... which, as you can probably work out is a healthy mix of trepidation and excitement.  Because today is the day that the book known as 'DOUBLE HISTORY' landed in the in-box of the Agent who's been showing a keen interest in it since March.  I've been editing and redrafting and cutting and pasting and learning how to kill "darlings" (a masochistic but impressive feat) and last night I finally, finally decided That Was It.  Enough now.  If I picked and poked any more, there'd be holes and dropped stitches and all manner of other analogies cropping up and making mincemeat of the whole thing.  I didn't want to lose the plot altogether, now did I?
And so I did what my Dad always told me to do.  I slept on it.  Not literally you understand, otherwise I'd have woken up with  "2GB" impressed across my cheek and that would never do.  There's no amount of L'Oreal that's going to fill a crevice that big, no matter how much I think I'm Worth It.

Anyway.  So it's there.  In her in-box.  And there's also a follow-up e-mail sent about 5 minutes later after I'd checked the 'sent items' in my own box and realised (pant-wettingly and much-sweatingly) that in the subject line I'd typed "DOIBLE HISTORY" and not "Double" - which is an actual word - not a made up one, and certainly not the title of my book, FFS!  (thanks to lovely author lady Keren David ("When I was Joe") who suggested I should own up to this madness in case I was spammed for illiteracy).

So, lucky for me, I got two responses.  One saying thanks she'd be in touch when she's read it - and no worries about the typo.

Oh, did I mention that this nice Agent person also sent me an e-mail last week telling me she'd "love to read anything you've written".  That's me!  That's *love*.  That's anything I've written!  WHOOOOOOOP!

And breathe.

7 comments:

Deb said...

Very trepicited for you, Debs and keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed for you, honey!
xxx

Jacqueline Christodoulou-Ward said...

That's fantastic, Debs, I'm also trepicited for you! Keep us informed! xxx

Debs Riccio said...

Thank you ladies - I have so many things crossed I can't see straight or walk properly - can still manage to type though, obvs!

Francine Howarth said...

Hi,

Found you via Tally's blog.

Good luck with agent. Great news!

best
F

Debs Riccio said...

Thanks Francine, loved your Red Riding Hood story btw - very racy!

Trina Rea said...

Oh my good God, how did I miss this! Fan-tas-tic. Very very promising. Keep us posted. Sending you the lucky vibes from Ireland. xx

Debs Riccio said...

Aw bless you, Trina - feeling those vibes! x