I took a deep breath today and started sending query letters out to agents for my manuscript.

I’ve sent it off into a couple of free for alls (ie the only days of the week/month that some publishers have for unsolicited manuscripts) where the first 10 pages or so goes off into a great black hole. From what I’ve heard, the first page gets read. If you’re lucky.

I’ve also entered the first 10,000 words in a romance writers manuscript mentoring competition- mainly because I know it will get read.

Anyways, I’ve never been one of those people who knows someone, so need to create my own opportunities. I’ve never been one of those people who has had a leg up into a job because they’ve known someone, or went to school with someone, or is friends with someone. And I certainly don’t know anyone who is involved in any way shape or form with publishing. So I am doing it the hard way. Which, in a way, is a good thing. You see, this means that I really have to believe in my product, and, despite the occasional Saturn in the 1^st house lack of confidence wavering, I do.

So, I’m going down the agent query letter line. And, you know, that isn’t entirely a bad thing. I am also writing an Astro manuscript, so will need to navigate the whole chick lit vs non fiction minefield thing.

As I parcelled up the 3 chapters (hard copy- first chapter plus two others), re-did the synopsis yet again (they all want a different word count and different submission format) and tried to fit everything that anyone can actually want to know about me onto a single A4 page with double spacing and 3cm margins, I took some comfort from the stars.

The Sun and Jupiter were still joined in the afterglow of their conjunction. That crucial 17 minutes of cazimi (when Jupiter is basking in the eye of the Sun) was still valid, and still sextile my Ascendant. The electional chart ascendant was Scorpio, in fact, at the degree of my Neptune. Yep, the things dreams are made of, and the Moon/Neptune are joined in Pisces in the 3^rd, which I think bodes well.

Oh, and the Sun/Jupiter conjunction was in the 5^th house.

Anyways, it is all parcelled, and I will cross my fingers for the next 8-10 weeks…apparently that’s how long it takes to read unsolicited queries. In the meantime, I will keep on pushing on.

Astrology in real life.