I promised myself I wouldn’t post until I had some news about Another Man’s Poison. Unfortunately, it’s been three weeks (it seems so much longer), and I haven’t heard a peep from the publisher. In the dark recesses of a writer’s mind, there are lingering doubts about the work. Do they hate it? Is it good enough? Does it completely suck?

I know tons of writers and we are the most insecure people on the planet. We don’t think our words are the nectar that attracts butterflies and readers alike, as are the flowers in my yard (see above) that these two beautiful creatures and the occasional hummingbird crave. We have our doubts. We know our writing will be scrutinized and not everyone will fall head-over-heels in love with our work. For such creative types, we’ve been around long enough to view the big picture with a pragmatic eye. The wait for acceptance is agonizingly long. To fill the time and occupy the mind, we dive into another project and try to concentrate. It doesn’t work. Once your story is out there awaiting approval, it’s all you can think about.

So that’s where the book stands for now. Limbo. I’ll post as soon as I hear something – good news or bad. Meanwhile, I’m re-reading Recurring, as two agents have told me they didn’t like the pharmaceutical angle of the book and that is why they decided not to represent it. The thing is, the pharmaceutical angle is the entire book! I’m not really considering changing the story, but I am looking for a way to make it more palatable for an agent’s taste buds.

Meanwhile, we are awaiting Hermine here in New Jersey, a downgraded hurricane reduced to sub-tropical something or other status. My neighborhood suffered through a microburst-type storm a few weeks ago. A neighbor’s tree top came crashing down on my house and yard and, of course, I was responsible for its removal (Act of God, no physical damage to the house, no one injured). The neighbors never even inquired where the entire top half of their tree went. I had to pony-up and pay to have it cut up and carted away. Yeah, I’m complaining. What’s the point of homeowner’s insurance if they don’t cover these things?

That’s it for now. Sad that the summer is over, but I won’t miss the heat. How about you guys?

Have a wonderful Labor Day!