A Few Things To Not Feel Demoralized About

     First, something I do feel demoralized about: a very kind rejection letter from an agent to whom I sent my manuscript two months ago, telling me that there was so much in the book she "admired and enjoyed," but that she was not connecting to the characters enough to be the right agent for me; however, she knew that another agent would feel differently.  To which I wanted to respond: Yeah?  You know that?   Well, how about doing me a favor and giving me that agent's name and contact info, so I can stop playing this torturous game of Blind Man's Buff and just get on with it?
     And here's something else I feel demoralized about.  The Supreme Court, and I use that term loosely, is going to release its decision this week on the universal health care plan, and I have a sickening feeling that decision will be based on the purported fear of some members of the Court that if they do not strike down this law, they may someday be mandated to buy broccoli.  And if it is, it will be terrible for this country on many levels for many years to come.
     But I have a few things, on a personal unpub-writer level, to NOT feel demoralized about, and those are actually the things I was intending to share.  Thing One:  Kami Kinard, whom I met at the NJSCBWI Conference two weeks ago, agreed for me to interview her about her book, The Boy Project.  This makes me happy.  Stay tuned.  Thing Two: Kathy Temean, the awesome, almost-emerita RA of our chapter, has arranged some summer networking dinners for authors, agents and editors, and I'll be attending one of them this coming Tuesday night.  Also attending will be an agent with whom I had a critique at that very same Conference, who told me that one of her two major problems with my Book #3 (the other being the discrepancy between the actual age of the protagonist and her seeming age) was that it would be very difficult to sell it as a YA if it didn't have a central romance.  Well, it suddenly dawned on me yesterday that I can ask her at this dinner whether she'd want to look at my Book #2, also a YA, which is probably not as polished as #3 but, on the other hand, DOES have a central romance.  Brilliant, yes?
     That ends the list for now, but I will report back after the dinner.  Which, by the way, is at a steakhouse.  And I do not eat red meat.  But the online reviews say that it has awesome side dishes.  Check back with me later in the week for a full report.
     That is all.