“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”–Meister Eckhart

by Leigh Goff

Lucky thirteen–my thirteenth full manuscript request for WICKED SWEET was the lucky one for me. My eyes popped when I read the email from Lauren Bittrich of Lucinda Literary in New York City. Was it real? It sure was!

After this wonderful, fabulous agent requested and read the full manuscript (YA with magical elements) in two days, she sent a glowing email. She wanted to meet with me and I cried. I literally sobbed with joy for ten minutes. My poor golden retriever didn’t know what to do with me. She sat and stared until I hugged her. Then I texted my loved ones with happy dance GIFs. After I caught my breath, I was ready. I replied back with a day and time and that worked for both of us.

The morning of our Google meeting, I was nervous, but definitely more excited. I was going to talk with someone in the literary world who had read my manuscript, loved my characters, and wanted to chat about all of that. How cool?

Lauren was great from the start. She told me about her professional background and editorial experience. She explained her vision for my book and it meshed perfectly with mine. Everything sounded great! She wanted to know what inspired WICKED SWEET, and of course I told her it was the wonderfully sassy main character (Abigail) from New England who becomes a square peg in the round hole of a small, Southern town. (There’s also a coven of cool misfits, a wicked cake seance, and a romantic kiss at Boneyard Beach.) She asked if I had any other stories I was writing. I told her a bit about another story in the works. She was thrilled because she didn’t want to represent just one book, she wanted to rep me for my career. What?!

As much as I wanted to sign with her right then, I informed her that I had to let the other agents reading the manuscript know I received an offer, and I would get back to her in ten days.

What a wait! The ten days dragged on, and I found myself wondering if the first call had really happened. It had! Once I had everything I needed to make a decision, it was an easy one. Lauren was the best. I emailed her the morning of the tenth day, just as she emailed me. Within two hours, the client agreement was signed.

I’m incredibly excited to work with her and her team at Lucinda Literary on WICKED SWEET and get it ready for submission. I wish everyone who is working on a manuscript the best of luck and look forward to reading your post on getting published.

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