I sent out forty or so queries to literary agents in the past ten days, most just proposals but some with chapter samples enclosed. Half have rejected my idea but most have added encouraging words. I guess when you're holding the cancer card, "not for us at this time" morphs into "not for us but your tale is harrowing and inspiring." One agent sent back her card and asked for an outline and chapter samples. This is the one nibble I've received, so you can be sure I'll bite.
Strangely, having my book idea rejected doesn't make me feel bad at all. I join a long list of famous writers who suffered rejection of their work. I'm confident of my writing skills, although I know I need a good editor with a critical eye. My story, although focused on leukemia, examines many aspects of life. Someone will pick it up someday.
What's harder to take is when your child gets rejected. Harry is anxiously awaiting word from the colleges he applied to. So far he has had one acceptance, one rejection and two wait lists. He's still waiting to hear from three more schools, which will notify him on April 1st. Harry has actually taken it very well. His response to the rejection was "meh." As a parent, though, I feel bad. With the wait-list schools, you can send additional accolades you've wracked up since submitting your application. Harry can say that his high school won the Rhode Island State Decathalon Competition last week, the first public school to win since its inception in the state. Harry himself won a gold medal in economics and a bronze in essay writing. It's kind of cheesy to play this "oh yeah, well I did save a whale last week," but if it nudges him up the list it's worth doing.
I'll be sending out more query letters to agents this week, and Harry will hear from three more colleges. We'll be fine.
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Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
Tale of a Cord Blood Transplantee Who Relapses and Goes on to Have a Matched Unrelated-Donor Transplant
The Weight
Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
ABOUT ME
In March 2006, I was diagnosed with a blood cancer called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Life as I knew it came to a crashing halt. After enduring a month in the hospital where I received intense chemotherapy, I was declared "in remission." I had three additional treatments and remained cancer-free until May 2007, when I relapsed.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
3 comments:
That you and Harry will both be successful in your endeavors, I have no doubt. It's only a matter of time.
You are a great writer! Harry will do fine too I'm sure
I wrote a book too and even got an agent. He sent it out to a lot of publishers and they mostly said, "Terrific, moving etc. but not in this market." So it's just hanging out there. Katie is doing the college thing too. We only have one left to hear from. I think she's basically done. She got into some good schools but we were waiting for the second to last one and she just got rejected. We figured she would...
Once again, we're going over similar territory!
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