Dear Diascribe Faithful,
The original intention of this blog was to show the process of going from unpublished to agented to published and all the highs, lows, and bumps along the way. Unfortunately, it’s taking a bit longer to go from agented to published than originally hoped and for now I need to focus all the free time I have, what little there is of it, on writing the Next Big Thing. So…for now (and hopefully not for long), farewell.
I leave you with my latest rejections (which officially round out the list of everyone who got to see my first novel):
Dear Victoria,
I am sure that by now you have given up hope on hearing from us about THE WARRIOR’S SON, by Aaron Brown. I apologize that it has taken us so long to get back to you, as Kate left for her maternity leave there was quite a bit of manuscript jostling. I truly enjoyed this manuscript. Although we are going to pass, I wanted you to know that I loved the curious voice, the hilarious antics of Caleb and the details of his life are equally humorous and affecting. His relationship with Bigger is surprisingly touching and I wanted to continue reading. Unfortunately, I felt that the pace was too slow and I grew frustrated waiting to find out what had happened to Bigger and how it fit into the rest of the story. I felt that the rising action should have happened more quickly, so we get at least some sense of how Caleb may have ended up in the position we find him in at the beginning of the novel.
I am sorry we have to step aside, but if Aaron wishes to revise and re-submit I would gladly re-consider. I also would like to introduce myself and hope that you look to me in the future with any submissions you have.
And…lastly…from the editor who wanted it if he could only get approval…
Victoria,
I apologize for taking so long to respond, especially as I’m going to pass on this. It’s a very hard decision for me, but, ultimately, it boils down to my inability to rally the troops here. I love the story, and Caleb and Bigger’s relationship is as touching as it is quirky and humorous. It’s an epic story of a unique friendship, and I quickly found myself completely wrapped up in what was going to happen between Caleb and Bigger. Brown’s a talented writer, and he does a great job of maintaining the reader’s interest here. It is a difficult story, though, and at times it’s in danger of spiraling out of control. This presents a challenge, and while I got some great reads here, I couldn’t get everyone on board with it. The narrative goes in many different directions, and, in the end, it doesn’t all coalesce into the compelling whole that we’d like. Thanks, though, for letting me look. I apologize again for the delay. Please do keep me in mind for future projects. It seems that we have quite similar tastes, so I’d love to find something to work on together.