How I Got an Agent

For those of you who follow me on social media, you already know the exciting news that I now have a literary agent! What you probably don't know is how amazingly orchestrated my journey to finding an agent was.

It all started with a decision that had nothing to do with writing whatsoever.

Joel and I decided we wanted to find a new church. There was nothing wrong with our old church, but I felt that it was time to branch off from the church I grew up in, the church where so many people knew me as my parent's daughter rather than as me. I had spent many good years at that church, and I loved how many of my students I got to see on Wednesday nights. Because of that time, I was blessed to build deep, meaningful relationships with so many of them. Where I struggled, though, was that I had given so much of my time and energy to teenagers that I had neglected friendships with people my own age. Joel and I had so little time to invest in other young married couples because I was always serving teenagers. We felt it was time to step back from serving so that we could build the friendships we needed to hold us accountable and to go through life with us.

Changing churches led us to seeking out a small group. Instead of going about joining a small group in the traditional way, I messaged a friend of mine who I had met while I was in graduate school. She encouraged us to come to her group one Wednesday night, and we have been going ever since.

That small group is where I met Laura. Like me, she is a teacher and a writer.

Back in February, Laura messaged me about a writing conference (The Alabama Writing Workshop) in Birmingham, AL. At first Laura didn't plan on going to the conference, but it seemed like a great opportunity so I signed up to go by myself (something I usually would never do because I'm awkward).

At that point, I was a little discouraged in terms of writing, and I was hoping to break free of that mentality. I had just recently heard back from an agent who loved my novel but turned it down because he didn't typically work with the fantasy genre, and he thought it would do better with another agent's representation. I was thankful that he liked my novel, but it was discouraging to hear the rejection after checking my email no less than 100,000 times as I waited for his response. At the ALAWW, I hoped to move forward from that rejection and to make some connections with other agents.

Laura ended up deciding to go to the conference, and it turned out to be a nice day (even though we ate lunch with a group of people who talked about eating humans and cannibal recipes, haha). Laura pitched her picture books to Marisa Corvisiero and was signed on the spot. YAY! :)

In August, I signed up for the writer's conference put on by the Corvisiero Literary Agency (the agency run by Laura's agent). Laura gave me a shout out on Twitter for signing up, and that is how I was first introduced to Justin. On Twitter, Justin and I talked a lot about my job as teacher, my students, and writing in general. It was nice to have those conversations with him before I pitched my novel to him at the conference.

About a week after pitching my novel, Justin offered me representation, and I gladly accepted. Now Laura and I get to be church family and agency family.

It amazes me how the decisions we make in life, whether big or small, can lead us down paths we were never expecting to follow. When I look back on signing the contract with Justin, it's not just that one moment that stands out to me. It's all the little details and decisions and people that placed me in the right place at the right time.

In reflecting, I'm reminded yet again just how perfectly God orchestrates our lives. Not only does that comfort me, but also it fills me with joy. I can trust that God has given me a vision for the future, and I need only follow Him in my day-to-day life decisions. He will get me where He wants me to be exactly when He wants me to get there. I can't think of a greater comfort than knowing that God is working behind the scenes of our lives.