I did it. My heart was racing, my palms were clammy and sweat was dripping off my forehead and into my eyes, but I did it. I did it on Wednesday, March 14 at 2:59 pm. For the first time I sent off a manuscript to a publisher.

I spent the entire morning with a dear friend, who happens to be my editor. I had hoped to send it off while she held my hand, but alas, she had to leave before I was able to make a few tweaks here and there. When it came time to send it, I did the next best thing, I had my hand held virtually by Maurice.

My system was acting buggy, so I wanted him to fix the problem, so nothing sent would get gummed up somewhere. He logged in remotely and took care of the matter and then he stayed on with me because he knew I was a nervous.

There were four separate files I had to send, and he was a great help. He would move the cursor over each file and then I simply tapped a few buttons and each one submitted one after another. Within a minute I was done, and the anxiety turned to elation.

I’m aware that getting your first novel published is difficult. The odds are slim. However, something just feels right about all this. The publishing house I submitted to seems like a perfect fit. Hopefully they’ll feel the same.

I still have much of the novel to complete, so that’s where my focus will be for a while, so my posts here may continue to be erratic. I’ll do my best.

Oh, did I mention the publisher will get back with me within 12 weeks? 12 weeks?!?! The next few months will be the longest in my life.