A New Chapter... Looking forward and... back...?

Well a new chapter has been opened.  An old one is closing.  Paper Dreams has had a good run.  It has been sent to over 50 agents and has received 7 requests total.  Out of those requests, I've actually received some promising feedback including:

Hi, Eleah--

Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I'm so engaged by the really original premise behind your story. Unfortunately, fantasy really isn't my sub-genre, so, though I try to give it a chance, I rarely end up moving much further into the process with fantasy stories. Furthermore, as I'm not much of a fantasy reader, I do have reservations whether I know the market enough to do real justice to prospective clients. This is a very long way of saying I really liked your excerpt, but I don't see it being a strong fit for me, ultimately. I would encourage you to query other agencies, however, and possibly my colleague _________, who is a fantasy fan. Thank you again and best of luck!

Another agent wouldn't take on the project, but told me:

Hi Eleah,

No worries -- it was more so that the market is tough right now for fantasy and steampunk. Unless it's a crazy stand-out never seen before concept, it's just too difficult in this saturated market.

if you've queried widely with no bites, just keep on writing. Don't give up!

and lastly an agent who actually took the time to go through my book itself!  Who gave me three tips specifically to amp up my writing and also told me:

you have a great attitude by the way,  I like you and your story.

All this to say that, Paper Dreams has had a great run and I've learned a lot from the agents who actually took the time to give me some thoughtful feedback, a task that is not easy in their field given the amount of queries they have to read along with the fact that they have a ton of work to do for their current clients.  I've gained some perspective on the craft of writing, and while, being admittedly disappointed that this isn't the book to launch my "career", I am learning to look at this in a more positive light.  While this might not be my debut novel, it is not as though it won't ever see the light of day.  Who knows?  Maybe the next book will sell and my agent will ask me, "Do you have anything else to pitch to me?"  A Boom!  There goes Paper Dreams.

And even if that doesn't happen and this book never sells, I will have all the valuable experience I gained from it.  The feedback I've received from agents tells me I am on the right track.  That while I may need more practice, or maybe just the right time-place connection, on the overall, I am moving steadily toward publication.

The only difference between professional and amateur writers is that professional ones did not give up. Neither will I.

So now that this chapter is closed, it is time to open a new one.  Time to look forward, and, oddly enough, back.  My new book is a historical fantasy!  I am really excited about the premise because I am returning to a very old story with characters I absolutely adore but finally finding the right home for them this time around, which happens to be 14th century France primarily during the Avignon papacy.  I expect that given the nature of the story and the characters, it will travel around a bit... maybe even to the Holy Land or England, but we'll see where my research takes me.  And because fantasy is always near and dear to my heart, and I believe there is always more going on behind the scenes than our natural eyes can see, there will be a fantasy aspect included.  Which is what I am super excited about.

What a curious and special feeling to be going full circle to a story that began formulating in my mind over 10 years ago...  I just needed enough time to stop hitting my head against a wall and realize there was a way to make all the pieces come together in a whole new way.

So back to the planning, daydreaming, creation stages that are so much fun.  Research will be a whole new portion of this process as I've never undertaken a historical piece before.  Alright, I did once in highschool and I still blush looking back on how anachronistic it was.

Wish me luck as I embark on this new chapter!  More to come.