You had me at "We're Interested..."!

So here's the scoop!

Wednesday I got an email from the publishing company, Firefly and Wisp, saying that they are interested in publishing The Heroes of Edenville! A couple months ago I submitted the first few chapters to Firefly, and they responded a few weeks later, requesting the rest of my manuscript. Back when I received that email I was sooooooooo excited, I submitted my story and waited somewhat "patiently" until I received THE email.

I received the notification I had always dreamed of on Wednesday. My phone went off, and my first impression was that it was my sister or someone texting me. I looked at my phone and saw that it was a reply to my query, and I swear that my heart stopped beating. Then my blood began to race, and I felt heat boil up in my cheeks in anticipation. I opened the letter and it said that Firefly in Wisp are interested in publishing my book, and if I was still interested in finding a publisher, they would like to have me! It went into minute detail about royalties, but I honestly didn't care about the percentages right then and there. I stood up screaming and yelling, tears of happiness blurring my vision, and I couldn't help but feel like I'd died and gone to heaven!

I immediately called my parents to let them know that someone was interested, and Heroes was finally going places! I emailed the publisher back explaining my continuing interest and asked what to do next? I then proceeded to call everyone I thought would be interested, and then started texting when I realized my breath was getting shorter, and there were WAY too many people left to tell!

After a couple of short emails to the publisher, Danielle, Firefly and Wisp had their hands on my contact information, and I sat in gruelling anticipation on the edge of my seat, anxious for their reply. I bit all the skin off my lips, and did the whole nine yards with tiring myself out from unconsciously pacing. It has always been my ultimate dream of mine to have my stories distributed to eager readers! I've wanted my name known, and the names of those fictitious characters of mine in the backs of the minds of everyone world wide! My own little world on Edenville Island in particular, drove me to want my paradise to become a public place, and so nearly eight years after the pen started moving in an Unusual direction I find myself at the beginning of the carpet... it's not quite RED in color yet, but the new texture under my feet is quite euphoric!

The next day Danielle called me, bright and early in the morning, not realizing I was on a different time zone (LOL), and since I didn't answer, she left a voice message. When I heard it, the adrenaline started flowing once more... A couple hours later I received the call I was waiting for. I was so excited when I talked to her, I think I might have laughed too much! LOL.

We went over the details of what Firefly and Wisp could do for my Heroes, and what I could do for the company in return. I got more and more excited as the time went on, talking to this humorous and friendly woman. I knew some things would have to change in my book, as it's edited, and of course a new cover will be designed, but the one thing that I was always worried about was my Nessa.

Vanessa and have been best friends, and co-workers of sorts for a few years. She has drawn half of the illustrations for book one, and ALL of them for book two, not to mention the ones she's drawn for book three already! In my extensive research over the last few years I noticed that almost all publishers don't want to accept artwork from sources outside their own company, so Vanessa and I were preparing ourselves for the worst since then. What would I do if they wouldn't let me take Nessa with me? If her pictures were prohibited from my stories? Her illustrations have been a major part of the Unusuals since 2009! I was so scared... I mean, how do you choose something like that? Your best friends' artwork that is as much a part of you as the book is, or to simply get the story published? It's always been a constant worry of mine, staying in the back of my head, haunting my dreams...

Well, I asked Danielle about the drawings, and she said that as long as they don't look like a kid drew them, she has no problem putting Vanessa's illustrations in my book! She wanted to see the pictures and approve them first and agreed to try and work with any issues she might have with them. That's better than I have ever hoped to have, as far as luck goes!

I was so happy, I refused to post anything on facebook, or blog anything about it until I spoke directly to Nessa and tell her what the deal is!

So, now I'm simply waiting for my contract to arrive so that Firefly and Wisp can publish The Heroes of Edenville! I don't have a three book deal, because I guess the contracts are for individual books, but I was told that the company likes series! I consider that practically a three book deal, wouldn't you?

I have a friend that's going to help me build my very own website, and another friend who's going to take really nice, professional pictures of me for my authors bio over the next couple of days. I got back into book three, and I'm excited to finish the trilogy, and even more excited that I get to stay paired with my best friend/artist in the whole world! Danielle has been sent the book synopsis so that she can start working on the cover of book one, and the release date will be no later than November of this year!!!

There's so much to do, and so much to be thankful for and excited about! I've been given the opportunity of my lifetime, and I am seizing my moment! I can't wait to hear from new fans!

Of course this means that I'm going to have to find a way to balance my time more towards my writing... I've been wanted to anyway! I'm a writer! It's what I was born to do, and what I intend to die doing! So here it comes, World! Get ready because Athena Song's Unusuals are the next big thing!!!