Friday, May 21, 2010

Story of a Girl

December 2007: Girl is about to turn thirty. That's right. The big 3-0.

Girl decides to write about the first three decades of her life.

Girl likes this writing thing.

Girl writes, girl writes, girl writes. A whole book, she writes.

Girl researches, girl researches, girl researches.

Girl queries, girl queries, girl queries.

Girl waits, girl waits, girl waits.

Girl discovers blogging.

Girl blogs, girl blogs, girl blogs.

Girl queries, girl writes, girl waits.

Girl blogs. Girl shelves first failed novel.

February 2009: Girl enters ABNA 2009 with a new novel. Makes it to the quarter-finals.

Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl finds much needed confidence.

Girl rewrites, girl rewrites, girl rewrites.

Girl queries new novel.

Girl waits.

Girl blogs.

Girl revises, girl revises, girl revises.

Girl queries.

Girl waits.

November 2009: Girl signs with the amazing Michelle Andelman at Lynn C. Franklin.

Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl finds much needed confidence.

Girl writes.

Girl blogs.

Girl rewrites another novel while waiting and blogging.

Girl checks email, checks email, checks email.

Girl waits. Blogs. Breathes -- involuntarily.

February 25, 2010: Girl gets an email.

Opens it.

Girl can't breathe. Black spots crowd her vision.

Phone rings.

Girl snaps to attention. Looks at caller ID. It's a 212 area code.

Girl shoves peanut butter M&M's at girl kidlet and races upstairs, locking the bedroom door behind her. (Super parenting there! Nominate girl for mother of the year!)

Girl talks to agent.

The email is really true.

Girl.

Has.

Book.

Deal.

Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl might faint.

From Publisher's Marketplace: Elana Johnson's CONTROL ISSUES, set in a brainwashed society where those gifted with mind control best join the powers that be, but one rebel girl tries to beat them at their own game, to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, by Michelle Andelman at Lynn Franklin Associates (NA).

(Girl blogs.)

Girl gets gifts from editor:




Girl wonders what's better than books and chocolate.

Oh yeah.

Sleep. (Girl sleeps. zzzzzzzzz)

249 comments:

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Hilary Wagner said...

I am so super rockin out happy for you! You so deserve this and I'm so genuinely happy for you, Elana! w00t! I hope you gave yourself a huge celebration and I bet you'll save that chocolate forever! My publisher gave me a Jelly Belly gummy rat! It will never be eaten!

xoxo -- Hilary

Kelly Polark said...

ELANA! Congrats! I'm so excited for you. Your book sounds awesome, too! So...you had to wait since February to be able to tell the news?!!!! YOW!
Enjoy this exciting and special time in your writing career!!

Valerie Ipson said...

Scream. Cry. Throw M&Ms. Sleep. You deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sara B. Larson said...

Yay!! Elana, I'm so happy for you! Sorry it took so long for me to comment; I was driving home from CA all day and night (with no internet) yesterday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend eating that chocolate and enjoying your books. I can't wait to read your book!! :-)

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

girl deserves it :)

Bish Denham said...

CONGRATULATIONS ELANA! Just got the news and HAD to give you a GREAT BIG HUG and JuMp Up AnD dOwN with you! WHEEEEEEE!

About Me said...

OMG!!!!!!! Congrats on your book deal! That's fantastic news. Way.to.go.

Danyelle Ferguson said...

Elana - I'm so absolutely thrilled for you! You're awesome! You rock! Woot! Woot! =)

Liza said...

Comment 209. Where have I been this weekend. CONGRATULATIONS. Best wishes to one who deserves it.

Alexandra Shostak said...

YAY!!!! Congratulations!!!

Valerie Geary said...

Whooohooooo!!!!!!!!

Jessie Oliveros said...

I'm so happy for you, Elana. You obviously worked very hard and deserve it, And November to February seems REALLY fast, so you must have an amazing book...or an amazing agent...or both:)

Faith E. Hough said...

congratulations! I look forward to following your blog and reading your book!!

Unknown said...

Oh, my goodness...I go away to an internetless place for 3 days and miss this announcement???

Congratulations!!!!! Can't wait to read it in the form of your PUBLISHED BOOK!!!!

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Elana! So excited for you! How inspiring for the rest of us!!

Jessica Nelson said...

Oh my gosh. LOL! Okay, so when I clicked on your name and your profile thingy came up, I saw pubbed by Simon Pulse and I was mentally scratching my head, wondering, did I know she had a contract? Then I clicked on your blog and WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Totally awesome. And of course I love how you wrote it. :-) Major Congrats!!!

And who says you have pacing issues, huh? LOL (and if I'm remembering wrong, then ignore my pitiful attempt to be funny, hehee)

Kelly Bryson said...

Hey Elana-
I realized that congradulating you in a return comment on my blog may not count;) So, congrats! I know you've worked hard for this, Girl. Have fun celebrating!

Susan Fields said...

Just had to add my congratulations - better late than never. :) Way to go!

KA said...

Wahoo! Now all I have to do is wait to buy it. And you can sleep. For now, anyway, until your editor starts requesting changes...

Unknown said...

I think the girl, is a 'STAR'!!!

Congrats Elana! If you were in arms reach, I'd give you a big kiwi hug. Probably best you're not :)

Can't wait to buy your book!!!

Dawn Simon said...

Yay! I am so happy for you! Congratulations, Elana!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Elana,
When I first started blogging, you were one of the first people to follow me, back when I wasn't even sure what that meant, back when I didn't even know one could get "followers". Yeah, I was an ignorant blogger who just wanted to put things up somewhere to see if I was real. You are real.
Congratulations.

Kittie Howard said...

CONGRATS! Jen shared the news at Unedited. Soooooo happy for you!!

Matthew MacNish said...

CONGRATULATIONS! Does it make me an ass for assuming you were already published all along? Who knows. Anyway I'm sure you'll hundreds of these but I blogged about you today.

I even did it before I knew about the announcement! Not that it matters.

Yay for you Elana!

Hardygirl said...

YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sf

Hannah said...

OMGOMGOMG! I am officially happy dancing for you.

Melody said...

YAY!!!!!!!!!! I'm so very very happy for you, and that was a lovely story of how you got to where you are. :) CONGRATULATIONS!

Unknown said...

A super huge (belated) congratulations, Elena!!! You must feel on top of the world! I wish you continued success and also selfishly hope that by continuing to read your blog, some of your awesomeness will rub off onto me. ;)

Unknown said...

A super huge (belated) congratulations, Elena!!! You must feel on top of the world! I wish you continued success and also selfishly hope that by continuing to read your blog, some of your awesomeness will rub off onto me. ;)

Jen said...

Girl, that's AWESOME!!!! Congratulations to YOU!!! I can't wait to read it (because you know I will!!!) Eat some more chocolate, get some more sleep, and celebrate!

HAPPY Monday,
Jen

C. Michael Fontes said...

Fricken Awesome!

Congrats!

Jenna Wallace said...

Best. News. Ever.

How on earth did you keep that to yourself for so long? I think I would have resorted to subliminal (like this) messages (I got a book deal) in my (really, OMG) blog posts(squee with me!).

Congratulations. You give hope to all of us out there in the query/submission trenches.

Cherry said...

OMG!! Congratulations Elana!!!!

Jennifer Shirk said...

Awesome news!!!!! Congrats!

Aaron Polson said...

Massive congrats, Elana. You're the best!

Tara said...

CONGRATS to you, girl! It is so well deserved. I'm beyond thrilled for you :)

Eric said...

I'm way late in telling you this, but...

...CONGRATSSSSS!!!!!!

You are awesomesauce at it's best. I am so happy for you, because nobody deserves it more. You've gotta be one of the hardest working writer people I know.

Leigh Hutchens Burch said...

I'm waaay past fashionably late to the party ... but I have a feeling that the party is still going strong.

I'm so very sincerely happy for you. This news is amazing! I can't wait to walk into a bookstore and see your name in print. I can't wait to preorder! I can't wait to say "I KNOW her" or, well, at least, "I read her blog!"

You deserve this even more than most people because you are wonderfully talented and because you have never given up. I applaud you. I'm so happy!!!! SQUEE!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Elana, that's fabulous news! Congratulations!

Kasie West said...

You=awesome. Congrats Elana! I'm so excited for you!!!!

Christy Raedeke said...

I have never seen so many congrats! But that will not stop me from adding mine. Fantastic news!

Patti said...

Okay I did miss something while I was gone. Jumping up and down with excitement. That's totally wicked. Congrats.

R. Garrett Wilson said...

I have to say, this is one of the most fun posts I have read, on anyone's blog, in a long time.

Congratulations on getting some sleep and good luck with the book deal - wait, did I say that right?

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Congrats! That's fabulous. :)

Tabitha said...

OMG OMG I'm just seeing this!!! I've been held hostage in my kids bedroom all week, being forced to put legos together. I've finally escaped, and then I see THIS!!! Congratulations!!! *squeeee*

Becca Fitzpatrick said...

Elana!!! SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! This is awesome, awesome :D

Unknown said...

CONGRATS!!

Lindsey Leavitt said...

There are few things sweeter in life than chocolate. Book deal would be up there.
Love your journey post. AND CONGRATS!! You're going to be a published author, girl.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Congratulations again! I'm catching up on blogs and just saw the actual post.

W00t!

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