Nice things people say about my writing

I'm sure everyone knows the stories of J.K. Rowling and Stephen King and their ten bajillion rejection letters from agents. I'm also sure that unless you've ever queried agents in the attempt of securing representation, you probably don't realize that "ten bajillion" is not an exaggeration. Finding a literary agent is, I have come to determine, harder than finding a needle in a haystack. If looking for a needle in a haystack, it can be assumed that a needle does in fact exist in the haystack, but I might NEVER get a literary agent. There's simply no guarantee.

That being said, I think it's important to let the people who do read my writing know how very, very, very much I value their words. So, in today's blog post, I'm going to share some of my favorites!

A few of my friends are currently reading my novel RUNNING THROUGH THE WORDS. This is being shopped to agents right now, and if no one snatches it up, I may have to self-publish it because I'm really sad the world doesn't have an opportunity to know Bas and Bert like I do. Annie sent me an article the other day about a little leaguer showing compassion to a player on the opposing team. Her comment regarding the exchange was "This reminds me of Bas and Bert. We need more representation of men showing feelings and that being our norm."

Shortly after receiving that message, my other other mother Theresa texted to say "I'm loving Bas and Bert at the moment!! I'm just so incredibly amazed at your talent and creativity and VISION as I read this! You are SO talented, Hannah Rae!!"

My friend Dani is reading my serial novella, THE WAY BACK, as it's being posted online and a few days after the first chapter went up, I got a text from her that read "Hannah! Chapter 1 is sooooooooooo good. I am hooked!"

My other friend Annie (not the one already mentioned; this Annie is married to my friend Crazy) sent me a message through Instagram to say "You need a book deal! The people need sequels and new characters!!!" I absolutely loved that!

And one of my younger readers, Grace, got in touch via Instagram to share "I read the first chapter of your novel. I love it!!! When does the next chapter come out?"

A former student, Maddi, follows me on Facebook and after reading the opening chapter of THE WAY BACK, said "Can't wait to read more." That right there is an English teacher's dream!

I recently attended a Peacocktail Party (yes, there were peacocks and cocktails) and Audrey, whom I hadn't seen in ages, said "When are you going to write another book? You need to get on that." She was very matter-of-fact about it. Oh, Audrey... I have at least four novels that are ready to go! I'm just trying to get an agent to believe in one of them!

And then there was this one from Joanna, which is one of the nicest compliments I think I've ever received: "I've been reading it today and it just keeps getting better! I’m soo happy and proud of you for doing what you love and are passionate about! You’re a role model to all the girls that might be afraid to take a chance. You’ve broken that ceiling!" I took a screenshot of that one; I want to keep it forever!

Anyway, with this post, I wanted to let all of you know that your words really do matter because pursuing this particular dream has resulted in decades of disappointment. It's never easy to receive rejection... and I've received rejection letters from at least eight bajillion literary agents at this point. With each one, I question whether or not I should just give up. Fortunately, however, there are people like YOU who send me encouraging words just when I most need to hear them. My Pat-and-Patti Fan Club consists of two of the best motivators out there! (Seriously, ladies: don't be surprised if you're mentioned in the Acknowledgments when THE WAY BACK goes to the self-publishing press!)