I just logged on to my email, and there it was – my first rejection as a novelist.

I can’t say I’m shocked, or even surprised, really. I’ve read enough from the experiences of others to know that rejection is a part of the process, especially with first-attempt novels. In fact, this rejection doesn’t really even sting yet, although I suspect that might change as the news settles in.

To be honest, I think I would have been a little embarrassed to have gotten a contract on the very first try. But only a little.

So now it’s time to move forward. I’m choosing to take the rejection letter at face value when it says Delivering Tuberoses “has good potential.” Because it does.

There are other publishers to submit to, and I plan to start customizing my query letter in the next few days. But for today I have a writing goal of a thousand words for Space Corp General, and I’m only a few hundred words in. Hitting that goal is my priority for the day.

Then I’ll send out some more queries.