WriteNow Update!
This morning, I had an editorial meeting with two members from the WriteNow team, one was the editor who read through TWENTY-NINETEEN. I am about to cry.
For the first time since sending this manuscript out to professionals, I felt seen and understood. His words were so kind. He said he read through it in two days, he couldn’t put it down, it frightened him because he could see the events happening in real life, and he loved my protagonists’ relationship. The only criticism was that if he worked on it with me, he would help me to neaten up the start, but just like another Penguin editor had said, he thought the beginning made him question so many things, and he loved how I explained everything as the story went on.
I even got to briefly talk about the urban fantasy I’m writing, and they were both pleasantly shocked that I’m already 20,000 words into it! What I loved was how happy he was to see a Black British woman writing fantasy, as he said there aren’t enough getting published.
I won’t find out if I have made it onto the programme until end of Oct/early November, but I am hopeful that whatever happens, TWENTY-NINETEEN will find a home soon. They said that they don’t like losing talent, so the door is always open even if I don’t make it into the final 10.
I’m crossing every limb that I have for some good news in November!! I’m so happy!