Thank you for the kind words, polish, Tamlyn, Putputt and Torill. You're all right, of course - it's not worth hanging onto an agent for the sake of having one if you don't have their full enthusiasm and commitment. She had nothing bad to say about the book and suggested I start submitting it to new agents straightaway, so I'll take heart in that. I wish I felt more confident about being snapped up by someone! I had my fingers burned with agent hunting last year so I don't feel as good as I'd like to about it - though I do think this book is stronger than the previous one, so maybe that will change everything.
I've sent a several queries out since I got the email yesterday, so now I can properly join you all in the general query paranoia. Um, yay? *starts staring fixedly at Inbox hoping for insanely quick responses*
Torill - Yes, I did put some of my Chapter 1 up in YA SYW (the previous version I shared in summer was not good). It would be nice to have some broad feedback, but no pressure. Yes, I do do illustrations myself (well remembered!), and still sometimes regret going down the studying literature rather than developing my artistic abilities route... I may be over-promoting this Lillstrom orange cake! I'm sure you can find some lovely cake in the cafe you're currently sat in. I think it is no bad thing to write a follow up to the book you are querying at the moment if that's where your enthusiasm lies... It seems silly to write something else "just because". Especially if you can adapt the current book to be a "stand alone" if you need to.
My cats walk across keyboards too, usually when I'm attempting to use them.
I've sent a several queries out since I got the email yesterday, so now I can properly join you all in the general query paranoia. Um, yay? *starts staring fixedly at Inbox hoping for insanely quick responses*
Torill - Yes, I did put some of my Chapter 1 up in YA SYW (the previous version I shared in summer was not good). It would be nice to have some broad feedback, but no pressure. Yes, I do do illustrations myself (well remembered!), and still sometimes regret going down the studying literature rather than developing my artistic abilities route... I may be over-promoting this Lillstrom orange cake! I'm sure you can find some lovely cake in the cafe you're currently sat in. I think it is no bad thing to write a follow up to the book you are querying at the moment if that's where your enthusiasm lies... It seems silly to write something else "just because". Especially if you can adapt the current book to be a "stand alone" if you need to.
My cats walk across keyboards too, usually when I'm attempting to use them.