Loved this Book!



The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillip Sendker touched my soul like no other book or film has. The title grabbed me right away, along with the beautiful cover-unfortunately I was unable to post it.  After reading the jacket flap, I bought it from Laguna Books, our local bookstore. The change of points of view from first person- Julia Win, a young woman living in NY, who flies to Burma to find her father, then to U ba's story that shifts it to third person, was brilliant! The writing is exquisite; I could feel, see, smell and taste everything. With all the mystery, intrigue, and surprises, it's the ego-less/deep unconditional love of Mi Mi and Tin Win that makes it profound...beyond romance. A true treasure worth discovering! And if it becomes a film, I'll be first in line!

Every Rejection is One Less 'No' to a 'Yes'

"Every rejection is one less no to a yes," an acquaintance of mine said to a group of young musicians. Nice to know this as a writer. I received my rejection letter from Francis Gilbert of Doubleday Children's books, a Random House imprint, a couple of weeks ago. She is resurrecting Doubleday here in America which can't be easy. When I got a personal letter, I was pleasantly surprised. Upstart Crow Literary Agency felt like a form letter which was my first and it wasn't bad. Then I received a nice email from Abigail Samoun of Red Fox Literary Agency, who said my book had a sweet, classic feel but she didn't fall in love with it. Love is what we all want. Falling in love can happen fast or it can take some time. But you want it to be a lasting love. So, today I paddle boarded with the dolphins and next week I will venture into new waters for that yes-the editor and/or agent that will fall in love.

Port of Fluville

I'm leaving the port of FluVille now that I'm finally stabilized! I've never visited this place before and I plan on never returning. Despite how this place made me feel, I was able to clear my head enough to submit to another agency, Upstart Crow Literary. I explored their website after landing there whilst searching for that editor. He/She was nowhere to be seen, but I liked what I found on each page and what turned up in my research on this agent that was accepting submissions. Now I wait and see what the tide brings in while spying other possible ports for my book.