Guys.
GUYS. I AM HAVING AN UGLY CRY ABOUT POSTING THIS AND I AM STILL IN SHOCK AND I CAN’T STOP SHOUTING IN RANDOM CAPS-LOCKY WAY BECAUSE…
My agent sold my debut. Our first book deal.
(C’mon. I know you want to sing along with me.)
I can’t believe this is happening. And if you are my twitter friend, or my IRL friend, or my I-haven’t-met-you-yet friend, you may or may not know how daunting and scary and wonderful my writing journey has been so far. Whatever the case, thank you for sharing this moment with me. I love you for it. I would hug you very tightly right now, if you were here. I would ugly cry on your shoulder, and you would get impatient and tell me to stop being so maudlin and so silly, and I would listen to you. But just for a minute. Then I would start acting like a sentimental nincompoop again because…
One of my childhood dreams is coming true. I WRITE BOOKS AND SOMEONE BELIEVES IN THEM AND SOMEONE WANTS TO PUT THEM OUT INTO THE WORLD. I AM A PENGUIN.
I am so incredibly happy and lucky to be able to write that. I have so many people to thank (My family! My fabulous agent, Sara! My dream editor, Heather!). I have presents to give. I have (not very) gory details to share. But that is another post, one I’ll be writing soon. For now, thank you for reading this and being my any kind of friend. It means a lot to me.
TODAY
TOMORROW
Jenny Martin 
Congrats!!! I’m so excited for you!
Thank you so much, S. You are so sweet, and thank you for sharing my joy. 🙂
Sooooooo happy for you!! Congratulations! Enjoy this moment – there is nothing like that first sale.
Ohhhhh, I just can’t even. I am floating, Lisa!
OH MY.
CONGRATS.
Thank you so much!!!
I am SO happy for you! And I can’t wait to go through all of this with you! Editorial letters, book covers, arcs, blurbs, finished copies! AHHHHH!!!!!! You deserve all the happy!
We are book sisters, Julie!!! And I couldn’t be more happy about it. We are going to have to stick together the whole way. :P)
Congratulations!! That is so fantastic!
Thanks, Rob! I have really appreciated all your encouragement this year, man.
I am very, very excited about this. As you know.
Dude. We have come a LONG way, haven’t we?
You go ahead and ugly cry! I’m going to happy dance though!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I’m so happy for your Jenny! Congratulations!! 🙂
Jemi, you are such lovely, lovely friend. Thank you so much, amiga.
Congrats! Love the use of Lucy and so excited to read the book.
Woot! Thanks! I can’t wait to share TRACKED with you guys.
From the fab lessons in your “voice” class (Write Chat), I knew you were THERE. It was just a matter of when. 🙂 Happy, happy day!!!
Janice, you are too kind. I hope the info was helpful, and thanks for taking the time to celebrate with me. EEEK!
Ahhhhhhhh YOU’RE A PENGUIN. And such a lovely one, too. Congrats, lady! This book. Sounds. AWESOME. ❤ ❤ ❤
Claire! You are my hero! My spirit animal and friend! Thank you so much!
Congrats to you! I’m a new reader to your blog, who’s on the same journey to get published. What a joy it was to see this post in my reader today! Hope your celebration includes wine and lots of cake!
Thank you, Poppy! Always fun to meet a fellow writer. Glad to have you as a blogging friend! (And hang in there!)
Congratulations! That’s awesome!! (:
Thank you Sara. Also, I love your wordpress name!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Huge cyber hug!
Great news on your deal! I saw it on twitter, since we share an agent (Sara IS pretty great) and thought I’d pop by to say hi and congratulations. My book is on sub right now, and it’s a delight to read stories like yours, where all that waiting and wondering and worrying turns out wonderfully for someone. Thank you for sharing your excitement and good news!
OMGOODNESS. Being on sub is the WORST. But you are in such good hands. Sara’s the best, best, best agent. Just keep hanging in there–I can’t wait to hear your good news, too!!!
Hello, Meg! I too am repped by Sara & my m/s is making the rounds…pleased to e-meet you! I agree with you–Jenny’s story is wonderful to revel in (especially for on-the-cusp writers like us). And as I said in my comment below, she’s so generous with sharing her experiences and her wisdom, and I am grateful to learn from them. Plus, it’s extra-cool that we all share a rockstar agent (and a super-supportive one at that) who makes these dreams come true. I’m looking forward to cheering at the sight of your good news in the near future!
WOOT, WOOT, Jenny! I recently discovered your blog and have been loving it (so thoughtful and inspirational), and I am so excited for your news (and can’t wait to read TRACKED!). You are such a generous writer, giving so much to all the rest of us toiling at our desks–you’re so easy to root for! Thanks for sharing your story and for highlighting the crucial and critical importance of hanging in there…I especially love that your news came shortly after your fabulous post where you talked about how lovely it was to surrender and just stop trying to control things you couldn’t control. CONGRATULATIONS! Hope you’re still cloud-walking!
Stephanie!!! How did I not know you were a fellow Nester???
You are so sweet–your reply really heartens me. In truth, I was nearly at the end of my rope before my good news came (Sara was crucial–she believed in me even when I couldn’t.). I think that just goes to show that everyone has their own journey, and that what you are going through is normal and okay. You are not alone, and I can’t wait to hear good news from you! So cool to meet meet you!
See what I mean by “generous”? I can only imagine how incredibly busy you are, Jenny (not to mention elated!), and yet you graciously take the time to respond to my comment. Thank you!
Yes, I have been a lurking Nester, anxiously feeling like if I can just nab that elusive deal I’ll become “official.” And my natural tendency toward wallflower-ishness is compounded by my relative fear of technology and my confusion about which name I should be using online (when that happy day comes, I’ll be publishing under a pen-name…not sure I’ve even mentioned that to Sara yet, LOL). So I’m just dipping my toe into things for starters (thanks for following me on Twitter, BTW! Twitter is Phase One of my Toe-Dipping Campaign), and I’m soaking up and celebrating other Nesters’ great news. And thanks for the pep talk–much appreciated. Indeed, I often feel like Sara believes in me more than I do, so when I have those (many) days where the goal feels unattainable, I just decide to gobble copious amounts of chocolate and trust her. She is phenomenal.
CONGRATS and HOORAY again–and thanks for sharing your joy with all of us. Joy like yours is truly contagious!
Yay for TOE-DIPPING!!!
Hey, Jenny. Alex told Gabe who told me about your good news. Congrats. I know this has been a long journey for you, but the payoff will be well worth the struggle. And you’ll get to put your book in the bragging room at DFWWW.
Hey Kyle. I wish you were here so we could high five! And ahhhh, I hadn’t even thought of the trophy room at workshop. You’re right. How surreal is that? *gulp*
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it!
Jenny, you totally rock! I am so excited for you I could cry myself.
I can’t wait for all the details and to be able to order your wonderful words! Congrats. I always knew you would do it.
*does happy dance*
Cat!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. My friend, thank you for sharing this EEEEEEEK! moment with me. *tacklehugs*
Congratulations. What a great accomplishment. Enjoy it!!!!
Thanks, Brian! (P.S. I’m excited for your next book! We Texas Librarians are big fans of ALIEN INVASION!!)
Congratulations!!!! It goes without saying, but ENJOY.EVERY.MOMENT!
So excited for you and can’t wait to hear our story/read your PUBLISHED book! 🙂
[…] past week has been amazing, and I’ve been heartened by all the well wishes about TRACKED, but something’s been […]
I am so happy for you! I knew a window would open for you.
good