Anatomy of a (soon-to-be) Bestseller – Part 2

So my friend/editor Michelle convinced me that I needed to go to the Black Writers Reunion Conference in Dallas. It was really an excuse for the two of us to see each other for the first time in 8 years. She pushed and pushed and I gave in. With a little help from her and my lovely Godmother, I signed up. As part of the deal, I sent in my first 50 pages of the manuscript to be reviewed by an agent.

The conference was a blast! I met so many talented writers, including one of my favorites, ReShonda Tate Billingsley. I learned so much; it was Nirvana for this writer’s soul.

But the real fun was just beginning. I had a face to face session with the agent who reviewed my submission and then scheduled myself to pitch to another agent! I tried not to panic and Michelle sat and listened to my pitch a dozen times. (Bless her!) Imagine my surprise when not one, but both of the agents wanted to review my finished manuscript! How cool is that?

It took a little time to work out the details, but I eventually decided to go with the agent who had reveiwed my manuscript. She really believed in the work and I believed in her abilities to go about getting it sold. And thus began the merry-go-round of the publishing world.

To be continued…

Leave O alone!

So now everybody is picking on Oprah because she doesn’t want to interview Sarah Palin. Why would she? She doesn’t agree with her politics. She’s a clear Obama supporter. And the last time I checked, the name of the show was OPRAH, not “Nightline.” She can pick whoever she wants to interview and if she doesn’t want Palin, so be it.

Besides, if Oprah did interview her, she’d skewer like a moose on Palin’s walls. Now that would be good television!

On a related topic, somebody better muzzle Elizabeth Hasselbeck. I respect her opinion, but every time she opens her mouth, she should be sucking on mint-flavored Prada heels. She makes Jessica Simpson look like a Mensa candidate.

And if you’re wondering what I’m talking about, go here: ttp://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/09/09/sbt.hasslebeck.controversy.cnn