The Call

Today was the day.

For those of you entered in ACFW’s Genesis contest, you know what that means. For those that don’t…it was the day we found out who made the semi-finals. I started this day fine. No nerves. No worries. Just a calm acceptance that whatever happens, happens.

Then the phone rang.

And I jumped. My heart slammed into my throat. This was it. Only it wasn’t. My sister’s face greeted me when I picked up the phone. So much for calm and accepting. After I completed that call I went back to working on my work in progress, a bit more nervous than I had been.

A couple hours later the phone rang again. Same reaction. I jumped to answer it, my heart firmly lodged somewhere between my tonsils and my eyeballs. An unknown number greeted me this time. With a swipe of my thumb on the screen, I chunked my calm acceptance out the window.

The woman on the other end asked for me by name.

And I knew.

This really was it. It was what I’ve seen referred to as the call. Now I know why. My hands started shaking and my knees threatened to revolt. I heard the words I’ve been waiting months for. One of our manuscripts made the semi-finals.

Nine minutes later, I repeated the process. Two out of three manuscripts made it. Four more to go. But the phone refused to ring again. Then the official email with a link to the list of semi-finalists came through. No more need to jump when the phone rang.

We made it in two categories. The other four did not. Funny how a person can be excited and disappointed at the same time. Those four manuscripts were the ones I had pinned my hopes on. One of them was the original entry in the contest, and the instigator behind getting me in the whole thing. The other three were put in because we could, not because they were the ones we thought might make it. Yet, two of them did.

Now we get to play the waiting game again. Then will come the possibility for another call…or two. And in the meantime, I’ll go back to my work in progress. Keep clicking at the keys.

My most heartfelt congratulations to everyone that sat by the phone today and got the call. From one wanna-be-published author to another, I wish you the best of luck.