The Juiciest Rejections

Last May, I took a one-year, unpaid leave of absence from my teaching job to write full-time. This was a big leap for me. I've worked one job since I was fourteen, at least two jobs at a time since I was 18. I based a lot of my identity on being a college professor, and honestly, if I hadn't been working for such a soul-sucking administration, I might not have had the courage to leave that place even though I knew I was supposed to be writing. This unpaid leave required refinancing my house, cutting spending drastically, and moving at a slower pace. Going into it, I was scared. I'm the single mom of two kids, and I've grown accustomed to food.

Plus, what if I failed?

And it's funny, because I just did. Big-time. You see, a lot of this leave of absence was predicated on the hope that The Catalain Book of Secrets would be picked up. It wasn't that I was confident so much as that was how the dream was supposed to go: you take the leap, the net appears. Only a fool would jump otherwise.

But no net appeared, at least not one that looked like I expected it to. The book was turned down (see below for the most awesome of the rejections). As a result, I'm going to self-publish. Even more exciting (if that word means "terrifying in a naked, vulnerable sort of way"), I'm going live with a Kickstarter campaign that would allow me to professionally publish and market the book. Look for the campaign to launch tomorrow, October 1, and the book to hit shelves January 1, 2015.

And who knows how that will turn out?

(I do. It turns out well. Really, really well. Because four months into this experiment on following my passion, I'm finding out that it's not about selling the book, or reaching some pinnacle of writing, though I am aiming directly for both of those. It's about cultivating the sort of peace that you can only find when following your dreams. It's about not having to choose between writing and helping my kids with homework. It's about waking up every morning thinking, "I am never going to regret how I spend this day. Never.")

Thanks for listening.

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“Thank you so much for sending THE CATALAIN BOOK OF SECRETS by Jessica Lourey my way…I spent a long time thinking about this one. What struck me was how well Lourey handles the hallmarks of magical realism, from when we first see Ursula mixing a potion to when Jasmine admits to taking anti-depressants, to keep the family, the memories, and the magic at bay. I was surprised to see this was a first venture into magical realism, as I felt these instances beautifully heightened the tangle of these women’s feelings--I understood how their relationship and attitudes towards magic reflects their greatest hopes and fears. Unfortunately…”   

--Simon & Schuster editor, 5/19/14

“…I just want to reiterate that I think Jess is a wonderful writer, and I love the voice of this book and the family of strong, lovely, vibrant women she has created in the Catalains. Everyone here was in total agreement on that, and we came very close to making an offer. But (and I hate that there is a but)…”

--Random House editor, 7/14/14

“Thanks so much for sending me Jessie’s revised work.  I think she did a terrific job and the changes she’s made have absolutely improved her book. However, despite her great work, I just wasn’t able to get full support for this.  (Almost every person who read this really loved it—but it wasn’t quite unanimous.) I am sorry that we weren’t able to come together on this.  I really enjoyed Jessie’s work.  I’m quite sure you’ll sell this elsewhere—I’d love to hear where it goes.”

--Penguin editor, 8/8/2014