GUESS WHAT?!? (Hint: It's totally SQUEE-worthy.)

Gah, I can't believe that I get to write this post.

(I can't believe I get to write this post so quickly.)

But look what Jo did! Ahem, I mean, what Publisher's Marketplace posted at some point while we were all sleeping:

Children's: Fantasy
Shelby Bach's EVER AFTER SCHOOL series, about how an eleven-year-old discovers her destiny in a world of magic and fairy tales, pitched as Percy Jackson meets The Sisters Grimm, to Courtney Bongiolatti at Simon & Schuster Children's, in a two-book deal, by Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation (World English).

I kind of still can't believe it!!! My first book-baby! Jo found EVER AFTER SCHOOL a home!!

In case you were wondering...

The offer came a week and a day ago - on my great-grandmother's ninety-sixth birthday.

Morin (that's my great-grandmother) and I were just hanging out at the time, waiting to go to her b-day dinner party, and then Jo called.

I really wish I could tell you more about the call, but I actually don't remember much. My brain stopped processing. Actually, a lot of things stopped processing. All I remember is Jo talking really fast and me trying to take notes, which really didn't work, because my mind was screaming, "OMG! OMG! OMG!"

It was all surreal like whoa. I was sure that I would wake up and discover I had dreamed it all.

Then I started dancing around after I hung up the phone and told Morin (who sweetly said, "What great news! Now my birthday's really special"). I started tearing up when I told my mom and she said she was crying. Then Morin started telling everybody who called to wish her a happy birthday before I got the chance.

And every day since then, I've been freaking out more and MORE as it gets more REAL.

I mean, I've got an editor. Named Courtney. She's real - I know, because I got to talk to her on the phone. And she really loves my book. She said so. And she said that I should know that it's not an empty compliment, because she bought that book (plus the sequel!).

And that publishing house - Simon and Schuster? I know it's real. I used to walk by it all the time when I lived in New York (it's right beside Magnolia Bakery).

And deadlines! That will go in a contract! (Actually, the deadlines are what makes this feel the most real. Because I probably wouldn't imagine deadlines if I was dreaming. :-P)

Also, I've got this pretty new announcement that makes the news public. Ready to see it again? Ready? (Because I don't think that I'll ever get tired of looking at it.)

Children's: Fantasy
Shelby Bach's EVER AFTER SCHOOL series, about how an eleven-year-old discovers her destiny in a world of magic and fairy tales, pitched as Percy Jackson meets The Sisters Grimm, to Courtney Bongiolatti at Simon & Schuster Children's, in a two-book deal, by Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation (World English).

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But seriously, y'all - the more it sinks in, the more I realize how incredibly lucky I am, and how many people I have to thank.

Like my parents, who - when I told them that I wanted to quit my steady job in New York and write for real - told me to "go for broke," as Mom says. And definitely, Joanna at NC Lit, my lovely sweet talented agent, who pulled EVER AFTER SCHOOL out of the e-slush pile and loved it like whoa, who believed in it and me, who helped me polish it to submission-worthy shape with the patience of a sage. And Courtney at S&S, who loved it too and worked hard to get it to the right meetings, despite having lots of other things going on last month. And Maria, who let me brainstorm in her office last year and then laughed in all the right places, who read it this summer and still loved it. And Colby and Clint (my siblings), who never made fun of their big sister, even though I made it easy plenty of times. And Team JoSVolpe for just being a wonderful, warm, supportive bunch of writers. And a great group of friends, some fellow writers and some not, who read either this manuscript or past ones, and asked, Cool, can I read another one you wrote? (Always always a great compliment.)

I am truly lucky and truly blessed.

And so SO excited!!!! :-D