The Call!

A funny thing happened to me on April 30^th – I lost my phone.  I don’t usually do this.  Like almost never.  Okay, I do lose my phone inside my purse, but who doesn’t?  (I really need to replace my current purse, just for this reason.)

But on April 30^th my phone went missing for hours.  Seven and a half very important hours.

I had a good reason for misplacing my phone.  My daughter, who’s propagating my first granddaughter, was having chest pains and really high BP the night before.  There was an ER visit complete with X-rays and CT scans.  So the morning of April 30^th, I called for an update on how she was feeling.  (They never could figure out what was wrong, but she is fine.)

And I tucked my phone in my robe pocket. 

Mistake!

That day, I was really focused on the revisions to my 2014 Golden Heart finalist manuscript—POETIC JUSTICE.  After attending Spring Fling in Chicago and some major thinking on my drive home, I’d finally found the manuscripts magic.  My computer was in Airplane mode—because I’m pretty sure Windows 8 is using Internet Explorer with my mail and other apps and that was when Heartbleed was a problem. 

And I missed the following Tweets!

Laura Bradford‏@bradfordlit

WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! OMG!!!! WHHHEEEEEEEEE!!!! *jumping up and down* More WHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

12:57 PM - 30 Apr 2014

Laura Bradford‏@bradfordlit

So someone is getting the call. I mean THE Call. A very, very long awaited THE Call.

4:10 PM - 30 Apr 2014

Yup—didn’t see these tweets.

I finally made a concerted effort to find the d*** phone.  I called it.  Hubby called it.  I went up and down the stairs, searching perhaps swearing.  Finally, for some reason, I checked my robe hanging in the bedroom.

Voila!  My phone.  And I had missed 5 calls.  Okay -- one was me searching for my phone.  One was hubby helping me search for my phone.

And there were three call from Laura.

1:13 PM

1:15 PM

            2:19 PM

Laura left an email asking me to call her at 2:26PM.  (Remember I’m in Airplane mode so I’m not getting emails.)

Laura and I had just seen each other at the conference.  We were hopeful that this last revision for SuperRomance would do the trick.  She was being so kind, telling me I was sooooo close.  So when I called her back (3:59 PM) I figured she was going to tell me that Harlequin rejected the latest revision.

When I reached Laura, we talked about my phone and my daughter.  And then, figuring we’d just been together and she was being letting me down gently, I asked, “They rejected Southern Comforts?”

The answer?  Drumroll!

Harlequin SuperRomance bought SOUTHERN COMFORTS.  And they are slotting it for December 2014.  Wheeee indeed!

I’m going to be published!!

I ran out of my office.  Kicked my slippers off so I wouldn’t tumble down the carpeted stairs and break my neck and screamed at my hubby, “I sold!”

And Laura’s next tweet was ----

Laura Bradford‏@bradfordlit

The author who got THE Call lost her phone & so it took me hrs to finally connect w/her. I didn't mean to leave you hanging for so long :)

4:19 PM - 30 Apr 2014

So after five Golden Heart Finals, I have finally sold.  (This manuscript finaled in 2011, then I rewrote the opening and it finaled in 2013.)  As much as I have loved being part of the marvelous sisterhood of Golden Heart finalists, I’m so glad to be ineligible for the 2015 Golden Heart.

I have taken perseverance as my motto.  I had an agent offer (on this book) and then rescind her offer.  I submitted three other manuscripts to Laura before she signed me.  (She passed on a previous version of SOUTHERN COMFORTS, but called to say she wanted me to keep sending her manuscripts.)  I had two Revise and Resubmits from Megan Long before they offered to buy the book.

So don’t give up.

Here’s my question: Do you lose your phone – if so, what’s the funniest place you have found it or the most important call you missed?

Originally posted on the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood blog.