Introducing the Class of 2017!

Here's the Deal - Sandi Ward

I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was younger, I loved writing short stories. But after getting my graduate degree in Creative Writing at NYU, I set aside writing fiction for a while to go to work as a medical writer for an advertising agency. It's the kind of career that's both science-based and creative, and I enjoy it.

It was only after I got married, worked for a few years, and had kids that I went back to fiction. I think my life experiences help me write meaningful stories.

When I decided to query my novel The Astonishing Thing, I didn't know where to start. I spent months reading blogs, researching agents, and signing up for a few writer's conferences. I treated it like a job interview and took it very seriously. I wrote and re-wrote and revised my query for months. I showed it to many people and got lots of feedback.

Once my pitch was polished, I started contacting agents a few at a time in the summer of 2015. Stacy Testa of Writers House seemed somewhat interested, but admitted that she wasn't a cat person (my novel is written from the POV of a cat). She asked for 50 pages.

About 6 weeks later, she requested the full.

Then, nothing.

I wrote back in October to see if she'd had a chance to read the book. She said it was on her desk, but she'd been very busy.

Finally, I heard from Stacy on Christmas Day. She said she had a "Christmas surprise"—an offer of representation! I was definitely surprised!

Stacy sent my novel out to publishers, and soon had two editors interested and bidding on the book. Thanks to Stacy's negotiation skills, I now have a 2-book deal with Kensington. The Astonishing Thing will be published in late fall 2017.

The editor-in-chief at Kensington has requested that my second book be another family drama, and told from the POV of a cat, just like the first book. So: new characters, new cat, different tragedy.

The Astonishing Thing is a sad story. It's the kind of book where you may need a tissue box handy to get through it. I have to delve back into some dark emotional corners of my mind to gear up to write the second book. It's daunting! But I've written the first 3,000 words and I'm really excited to get the story out and onto the page.

Thanks to my Wattpad readers for the support!

website: www.sandiwardbooks.com

Twitter: sandiwardbooks