You like me, you really like me.

I just sent my manuscript into a small publishing company for consideration. I hope they like it. It's one of those things where you are excited to send it in, and at the same time you're scared to the bone to hear what they might say. And yet, you must hear what they have to say, to move forward with your work, and to learn.

But there is a whole lot of self doubt going on in my head right now. I wonder if they are going to find the story compelling, will it touch them in a way they can relate, and therefore, feel for the characters in the book. Will the book evoke emotion, where I want it to, and will the reader be able to picture each scene as it unfolds?

This reminds me of when Sally fields received her Oscar for Places in the Heart, in 1985? (I know, this totally dates me.) As she is accepting her Oscar, she says, "This time I really feel like you like me. You really like me." I hope I get to say those words someday, when a publisher says, they want to publish one or all of my books. (I’m hoping it will be the publisher, I just sent my manuscript to.) Or when one of my novels has sold over a million copies and is being translated into ten different languages. I want to be able to stand in the middle of the street and yell, "They like me. They really like me." I know, I know, this is a bit over dramatic, but I think if you're going to dream, you ought to dream big.