Monday, January 17, 2011

The Day of THE Call. (How Michelle Wolfson Offered Representation, part II)


When I write in English, I usually riffle through dictionaries or translators.  I also Google stuff to get the voice right, or to find the right word.  When I speak in English—hold on.  I almost NEVER speak in English! And if I do, my tongue trips or my mind goes blank.  Or both.  (Yeah, definitely both.)

So there I was, expecting a Skype video call, which would be held in a language my tongue refused to speak, and the person calling would be this fabulous agent who hadn’t offered representation yet.  At least, she loved my novel, right?  But what if she saw me on her computer screen and, after hearing me make some noises that hardly resembled English, decided I wasn’t a fit, after all? 

Talk about nervous. 

The night before The Call, I had this Skype rehearsal with my lovely CP, Holly L’oiseau, and she said my English was good.  Of course she was just being nice, but still, it kind of helped me prepare.  It also helped that Michelle said she didn’t mind if I had a thick accent.  And that if it made me feel better, I could even make fun of her own New York accent when we talked.  (That was so sweet, wasn’t it?)

Anyway, the other preparations for The Call weren’t going so well.  My husband was going out of town and was taking with him the only computer with a video camera we have.  To top it off, the ONE computer I managed to borrow was having a Skype strike on me.  Argh.

The morning of The Call, I contacted the computer technician, and after he did some real magic on the borrowed computer, I was all set.  (All set, that is, except for my tripping tongue issues, of course.)  So I had lunch with my three boys—well, more like they had lunch while I stared, since my stomach was too churned-up to tolerate any food—and when The Call was just minutes away, off I went to get the computer.  Only to find out that my five-year-old had locked the room where the PC was.  From the outside. And I had no idea where the key was!

The only way of getting to the computer was to climb up to the terrace of the second floor and enter through the window.  At least I knew it was opened.
Just so you can picture the task, I’ve pasted a photo of my house.  The computer room is the one on the upper right corner.



I didn’t have a ladder.  I didn’t have time to go look for one.  The call was about ten minutes away.  What on earth could I do???

To be continued….

PS: I’ll post the next installment on 1/25.

28 comments:

  1. Haha. It can never be easy, huh? I can't wait to read the rest! I'm glad I can anticipate you *not* falling and breaking your neck. :)

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  2. Oh wow how incredibly stressful! I would have completely freaked out! I can hardly wait to hear how you got in that room!

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  3. OMG!!!!! I had to do that with a locked in toddler one time...definitely more stressful with an agent call LOL! I can't wait to read the next part!

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  4. Wow, you write in English very well, I would never have known. Where are you from, if I may ask?

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  5. Alina, hey! LOL, yeah, I'm glad I didn't break my neck either!

    Heather, so nice to see you around here! Oh, yeah, I was SOOOO freaked out!

    Kimberly! Hi! Oh no! A locked toddler? Poor thing! My friend once locked her baby in her car with the keys inside and it was horrible. She had to call the locksmith while the baby cried and cried :(

    Emress Awesome! Hey! Great to see you again :D
    I was born in Peru, and now I live in Chile. Near the Pacific Ocean... hmm wait, I'll google my town... here it is: http://www.maplandia.com/chile/elqui/la-serena/ :D

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  6. Thanks for the blog visit and kind words! :) My book was requested by my editor at a conference. I don't have an agent, so no listing on Pub marketplace, alas.

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  7. Oh man! That's rough!

    I hope you made it safely-- and that you're not posting this with a cast on your leg or something. Can't wait for the next part. :)

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  8. You're a kind and lovely person. :) Glad the quake is over and your neck is *still* safe. :)

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  9. That sounds like a situation I'd find myself in! Can't wait to read what happened next. :)

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  10. Hi Monica.

    A million congratulations!

    You deserve all the success heading your way!

    Jane

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  11. L.T Host, LOL, no, luckily I'm not posting with a cast or anything! :D

    Alina, you're so sweet! I'm so happy we met here, online! Yes, I'm glad the quake is over, too!

    Anne, really? Those things happen to you, too? Well, at least they give us something to talk about, right? LOL

    Hey Jane! Great to see you around here! :D Thanks for your good vibes, and you know, you've helped me a lot with my writing and I'm so grateful for that!

    And thank you all for your lovely comments!! :D
    You've made my day!

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  12. Congratulations on the agent and I can't wait to hear the rest of your story.

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  13. Your book must be fabulous!

    What a good backstory, too!

    Congrats on all your success, and soon-to-be-success!

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  14. Congrats Monica! What an amazing story! Can't wait to hear the rest (grins). Nice to "meet" you! :)

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  15. Your English is seamless, and your courage and calm admirable -- what with all the chaos on the day of The Call. Congratulations. May your book hit the bestseller list! Roland

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  16. Congratulations Monica! Thanks for sharing your story. It just goes to show how tough the query system is. So glad you got the shot at the Baker's Dozen.

    And that's very cool about the hens. I owned two as a child. I miss having fresh eggs and have considered putting a henhouse in my Dallas backyard- most of the neighbors already think I'm a little loopy.

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  17. (a) OMG English is not your first language? Really, that is amazing, you write so well.
    (b) Already best The Call story I've ever read! Reminds me of a Stephanie Plum-type mishap. The suspense is killing me :)

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  18. Patti, thanks so much! See you around! ;)

    Jennie! You're so sweet! & thanks for your good vibes :D

    Kerri! Thanks and NICE TO MEET you, too! :D (Seriously, I LOVE meeting people online!)

    Aw, Roland, thanks. Nice--so nice--to read what you said!

    sbjames! Yes, I couldn't agree more. The querying system is so tough! And LOL about the hens in your neighbourhood! I could give you a couple of my chicks! ;)

    Girl Friday! THANKS! (And are you and OMG-aholic like me? lol) Loved your comment!

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  19. Congratulations, Monica,

    I enjoyed reading your blog and I love the way you write. Can't wait to hear more:)

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  20. I am on the edge of my seat! Congratulations on the agent and I can't wait to hear how you made it into the room. Is there a trampoline involved?

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  21. Describewriting, thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know what you thought! <333

    Carrie, hi! Let's wait and see if you have psychic powers. You might! ;) And thanks for your thoughts!

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  22. Monica, your novel must be great, 'cause this real-life story is more entertaining than half the books I've read recently:)

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  23. Hey Krista!! I'm so glad you came to visit me here :) And thanks so much for your moving comment! <3333

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  24. Oh my! The door was locked? I can't wait to hear what happened.

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  25. I see you've stepped over to the dark side. I've been waiting patiently for this blog so I could become a follower! So happy about your agent news and I can't wait to hear more about the process.

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  26. I'm dying for the next installment! The suspense is killing me! LOL

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  27. Ack, I just saw you're not posting until the 25th! :P

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  28. Hi Kelley! Yeah, the door was SUPER locked, lol.

    Lisa! Hey, I just went to you blog and left you a little note :)

    Jenny! Don't die! LOL. And thanks for stopping by :D (I <3 to see you around!)

    Hey Kristin! Yes, since I'm a newbie blogging, I figured I would post slowlier. Plus I'm not in town now :) And thanks for visiting! :D

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