Christy English

 Last week I had the unusual experience of reading the comments an editor made while passing on my novel.  The Queen’s Pawn is being looked at by editors in nine houses in New York. Three of these houses have passed so far, which is to be expected. I have been at this awhile, so I am never surprised by rejection. I am, however surprised by compliments.

Last week’s pass was particularly surprising. The editor, a well respected woman at a house I have always hoped to work with, was so pleased with my style that she would read the same novel again with an eye toward buying it, if I were to make major changes.

If anyone has glanced at my blog since February, they might have asked the question: Where did Christy go? The answer: I’ve been writing. The novel I was concerned about in February, the novel whose revision eluded me for months, finally came clear. Princess of France, now renamed Queen’s Pawn, has been revised both to my satisfaction and my agent’s, and is now out among the editors in New York. When will it be bought? Only the gods know. But I thank the Muse who feeds my soul. One way or another, I will get my novels into the wider world.

  Needless to say, writing is hard. Not just the sitting in the chair and getting down what the Muse gives you, which is hard enough. (Though a joy, too. Please Muse, keep the work coming…)

   It’s also hard to sell the stuff. Once you get an agent, then you have to wait. You send the manuscript, finally revised and finished (for now) and it disappears into the hands of editors, who may take as long as six months or longer to pass on it. I haven’t sold anything yet, so I can’t tell you yet how long it takes to sell something…