Romy Sommer

While over 800 aspirant writers anxiously await The List (for those who aren't as obssessed by the New Voices contest as I am, this is the list HMB have promised us of entries they want to see more of), I have a question to pose:  If HMB does not request your contest entry, do you plan to stick it in a bottom drawer or to sub this story elsewhere? Of course, I'm one of the 814 hoping this is not a situation I'll have to face, but even so I know exactly what I'd do: the bottom drawer. Why? Because when I do sell to HMB one day (and I'm determined to!) I want to have a whole bunch of manuscripts ready to be re-worked and re-submitted. I'm hoping that by then I'll be more experienced and know how to 'fix' them, so that instead of making just the one sale, I'll be able to sell a whole bunch more to my dream publisher! But I also realise that there are times when submitting to A.N. Other publisher might be a better option for a manuscript. If...

With a fluttering in my stomach, I hit send on my contest entry for the 2009 Harlequin Presents / Modern Romance competition. Less than an hour later I had an acknowledgment of receipt. So now it's done and there's nothing more I can do but wait. Thank heavens NaNo starts on Sunday!

This afternoon I submitted the 1920s short story I wrote last year to Wild Rose Press. Another wait begins. So far this story has been rejected by Harlequin's Historical Undone (for which it was written) and by Samhain Publishing. I'm hoping the old saying 'third time lucky' holds true. I was planning to only send it after I'd mailed off my full manuscript to the RNA, which is a much bigger deal as it requires so much more effort than just hitting send on an email (if only!) but somehow today just felt like a good day. The deed is done.