It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog. I’m sorry about that, but things have been crazy. Today I’ll update you on what I’ve been doing and what’s next for me.

The last time I wrote, in mid-February, I announced that I’d signed with a literary agent. Shortly after I posted that blog, I received my agent’s editorial notes on my manuscript. Then we had a phone call to discuss my revisions. The edits took me about two months. Initially, I was nervous about making the changes, but I also recognized that the book would be so much stronger when I was finished. I’m currently awaiting her comments on the revised version. I’m guessing there will be at least one more round of edits, but hopefully, I did a really great job and the next set will be smaller changes and not take as long. My biggest worry is that I made the book worse, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. I was so confident when I sent the revisions back. Fear is making me second-guess everything. I told my agent I was willing to do whatever it took to get the book in the best possible condition to go out on submission to editors and I meant it. While I wait, I’m trying to work on my next book—“trying” being the operative word. Authors are always encouraged to keep writing throughout the “waiting” process, whether that means while in the query trenches waiting to hear back from agents, when they are out on submission with editors, and in my case, waiting to receive my agent’s comments on my edits. It is so hard to work on one book when the fate of another book you’ve poured your soul into rests in someone else’s hands, but the advice is good. Once I’m writing my new book, I momentarily forget about my other one, but getting myself to the computer is the hard part.

On another note, my restricted diet is not doing enough to sooth my stomach discomfort. I’d resigned myself to feeling 80% of how I used to feel (on a good day) and then decided it was foolish to assume there was nothing else that could be done to increase my comfort level/decrease my discomfort level. I shouldn’t have to settle, so I went back to my GI doctor hoping she’d be able to recommend something else I could do in combination with the diet to increase my comfort, for example, medicine. After a second examination, she thinks I have something called SIBO—Small intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It sounds gross, but there is a treatment that seems to work on a lot of people in the nature of an antibiotic called Xifaxan. It’s supposed to reset my flora to where it was before the suffering began. I’m not sure I understand the scientific lingo, but if it makes me feel better, I don’t really care. I’ve been in chronic pain for almost two years now and it’s negatively impacted so many aspects of my life. I will do just about anything to feel healthy again. I’ll most likely have to stay on a restricted diet, but I might feel 90-95% instead of 80%. The diet is not so bad. What’s bad is depriving myself of so many foods I previously enjoyed and still feeling crappy. I’m starting the antibiotic next week because my doctor stressed eating very carefully while on it and for two weeks after. I wanted to fully enjoy Memorial Day Weekend and author friends coming into town next week for the Book Expo America conference (“BEA”) and that means having some cocktails and eating in places where completely controlling my diet is not possible. After next week, I will fully commit to putting myself in the best possible condition for the antibiotic to work. Wish me luck!

Memorial Day Weekend is coming to a close. I had a great one. I spent time at my rooftop pool reading, I got a full-body massage at Bliss, I went for drinks with one of my dearest friends, and I relaxed. I go back to work tomorrow for two days and then I’m off again on Thursday and Friday. I have so much to look forward to in the coming week thanks to BEA and BookCon that two days in the office seems completely bearable. Famous last words!

Me and my friend Dee!

That’s all for me. I’ll try not to wait three months before posting another blog. In the meantime, I hope you’re all having a wonderful long weekend!