Sarah Heatwole

Yesterday morning I opened my email inbox to a rejection from an agent for The Weight of Mercy. This is a great concept, but it’s just not landing with me the way it needs for me to take it on. This is the second time I’ve gotten this kind of feedback. The first time an agent told me, I enjoyed this concept, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel immersed in the story as much as I’d like to take this on.

I pay close attention to patterns, and this is a pattern. So, this past week I hit the pages. Something about the first three chapters isn’t pulling the reader in as it should. I cut my darlings—the lovely wish Edgar had about eating his nightly bowl of ice cream with a conjured love interest and got to the action on page one. In chapters two and three, I slashed sentences that were a bit awkward and added in some more period elements, my favorite being the teased double- decker bangs. If that doesn’t scream 1980s, I don’t know what does. Then I took to my query letter. My natural inclination was to revise what I already had, but then I remembered the advice I give in my day job. If what you are doing isn’t working, try something new. So, I started from scratch, rewrote the hook, and showed the escalating pressure until I had Edgar dangling from a cliff—not really, but metaphorically speaking. This whole overhaul took me hours of work but resulted in what I believe is an improved query package. I promptly sent the package out to five agents, and we shall see what happens. 

I hold these things loosely. I want to believe that this story has what it takes to get the attention of a big publisher. However, I’m a realist–someone who lies between an optimist and a pessimist, and I know it’s not unusual for writers to receive many rejections. The external pressures publishing faces may make an an agent or publisher unwilling to take on this kind of project. The margins are tighter and the marketplace more flooded than ever. What do you do then? Is it worthy of publishing? Does it serve a purpose? Maybe its purpose was me? Maybe the story was only for me? These are all things tumbling around in my mind. One thing I’ve prayed on and am trying to implement is to keep my hands open and say Lord, it’s yours. Whether my path is traditional publishing or something else, do I have enough trust to know that the Lord’s plan for me is perfect? This is rhetorical, of course. More often than not, the answer is no–so then I have to go back and dig into my heart to find where the untruth lies and address it. 

I’ve taken on an experiment. In July and August, I wrote a novella—a sweet little Christmas story that took on a life of its own and is now in the hands of an editor. An EDITOR and a cover designer who I am paying to help me shape it into perfection. I am screaming editor because it feels so grown up to put together these pieces to create this product that is entirely my own. I am self-publishing it, and I hope to have the entire project completed by the end of October in time for the holiday season markets. See here for my upcoming events! The best news is I am also offering this little eBook for free to any subscriber to my newsletter. So if you enjoy what you read every month, please forward this LINK to a friend and tell them to sign up! If they do, they will receive as a gift the free copy of CHRISTMAS AT CARMODY when it is released! I wrote this novella with my nieces in mind, and at the end of the book, I included family discussion questions for every single chapter. I picture parents with children, grandparents with grandchildren, and Sunday school classes reading it shoulder to shoulder, then discussing it together. It’s meant to be more than a story; it’s an interactive experience. 

Enough of my yapping for now. Let’s get on to other news: 

What I did this summer:

We took our annual summer trip to Delaware to visit family. Jerrel’s brother recently finished building their dream home. So fun to see their dream come to fruition and enjoy lots of family meals together.

I took three work trips–two to Texas and one to Kansas City. While in Texas I discovered the best ice cream shop! Sweet Firefly

At the end of July I took Jubilee and two of her friends to Cincinnati to see Forrest Frank!

If you want more insight into my day-to-day—follow me on Instagram!  I am very active there and love interacting with my followers. I’d also love to see you at my upcoming events. Click link to see where I’ll be!

What I Read in August 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 3—I am obsessed. The audiobooks are some of the best I’ve ever listened to. Emma is a tornado that spins you into her world. By book three, you are along for the ride. Beth Brower is a masterful storyteller, making even the most mundane days in Emma’s life magical and dripping with charm. They are the Gilmore Girls of the book world—and I mean it. 

The Correspondent—This was one of my best reads of the year. After I completed Sybil’s story, I took to the interwebs to research Virginia Evans. Dear Virginia had already written seven novels and her eightth—The Correspondent finally saw the light outside of Virginia’s filing cabinet. I’m a sucker for an underdog, and Virginia’s tenacity to keep on doing what she loves made me love the book even more. I had an inkling that under this story lay a spiritual truth, and you can’t imagine my delight when I turned the last page to find a Scripture. James 1:17—Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 

Up North—a beta read for my friend Lois Alan. Check out her website HERE Lois is a gifted writer, and I enjoyed this crime thriller immensely. Lois did so much research on police procedures that it made the novel feel authentic and lived-in. She is about to enter the query trenches, so pray that it attracts the perfect agent for her! 

Thank you for staying all the way to the end! May the Lord bless you and all your endeavors richly.