This is how it happens.

Your phone rings when you're doing something completely different. You think it's someone you know, but you don't recognize the number. You answer politely, the same way you taught yourself to do when you had to play receptionist back in those other jobs. The caller introduces themselves. Depending on how well you know them, you chit-chat for a while. Then, the caller says the magic words, "I'm please to make you an offer on [insert title or description of work here]."

Your heart stops. You kind of can't believe it, but your mouth keeps talking, lining out the finer points of the deal. Then it starts to sink in. You start talking about how excited you are. The caller, ie. the editor, is pleased for you. You can hear it in her voice when she tells you when you'll be able to expect a contract. Finally, she says that she has to go, and you say your goodbyes, possibly mentioning again how excited you are. Then, after you've hung up, you go tell everyone you know.

That's how it happened for me at least. Yesterday morning.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was filing order reports at my dad's office where I've been helping out twice a week. When I heard my phone, I thought it was my dad. It was not. It was an editor I knew very well from my time in a publishing house in New York.

I called my parents first. Then I emailed my friends at said publishing house. And told my uncle in passing. Then his wife. Emailed my siblings. BBMed my ex-roommate, whom I have known since 8th grade and with whom I roomed in New York. G-chatted another friend, whom I have known for just as long and with whom I used to exchange drafts of stories while in high school. Called my grandmother, my great-grandmother. Really, there's not too many people who don't know at this point.

Now, the aforementioned editor made me an offer on the basis of some sample chapters I did, for this proposal that I worked on before I left the City. Which basically means that I have a whole 'nother manuscript to get started on...

And I couldn't be more excited.