Wednesday, October 11, 2006

When I Told Eve -- Jay

"Holy ----!"

Then came the details...

...followed by another listen to my agent's two messages.

After my wife and I spent some reflective time in the park, we went to a flower shop and bought three beautiful bouquets for some very beautiful people. The first person on our list…Eve.

Earlier that day, after I’d already learned about the first two offers on my manuscript, Eve and I spoke on the phone. It was extremely difficult to pretend I was interested in what she had to say. I mean, yes, I cared…but I was so afraid of blabbing my secret if we kept talking. Then the plan for the entire evening hit me. I told her about a great documentary I’d borrowed from the library that I knew she would love. I asked if she would be home around five so I could drop it off. “If I’m not here,” she said, “just leave it on the porch. I might be out running.” “If you’re not there,” I said, “I’ll wait on your porch till you get back…not that I don’t have a life or anything.”

But when we arrived, Eve was still there. She opened the door in her running clothes and I handed her the bouquet. “Oh…okay…Thank you,” she said. Then she noticed the card poking up from the flowers:

Thank you…
for helping my
dreams come true.
Love, Jay

“Um…I’m not sure what…You’re welcome?”

There was a long, long, looooooong and awkward pause. She apparently didn't feel like guessing why I was bringing her flowers, unannounced, with my wife right there!

“I…sold…a…”

And that’s when Eve, expertly photographed by my wife, fired off several rounds of “Holy ----!” Then she sat down, put her hand over her heart, and listened while I told her everything that happened. The most heartwarming thing she said that night (after her vocabulary expanded a bit) was, “It’s weird, but it feels like I just sold my own book.”

And that’s why I love being a Disco Mermaid.

- Jay

Coming tomorrow…When I Told My Parents.

11 comments:

SilberBook-Blog said...

What strikes me most - after the wonderful joy, excitement, gushing, tears and swearing - everyone you tell seems to be running or getting ready to run or dressing up like runners.

And the flowers? You are not only talented, Jay, but a mensch. Can't wait to find out if your parents will be running tomorrow!

alan

Disco Mermaids said...

Alan,

You're funny. First, Jay hangs out with a lot of runners so he can 'exercise' vicariously through them. Although he does occasionally go to the gym for 8 minutes and walk a couple circles around the weight machines...I swear! Ask Robin!

Second, I dress up in running clothes every day so that anyone who drops by will think I actually do something all day besides play on the internet and read blogs. It's all about appearances...I used to stay in my jammies all day, but then I just looked lazy.

Eve

Lisa Yee said...

I'm loving this "When I Told" series. Who will play the author, the wife, the Mermaids, etc. in the TV show?

Greg Pincus said...

These are great posts, Jay. I'm really glad, however, that I didn't hear this from you in person, because I woulda looked lazy. Not just in comparison, ya know?

Thanks for sharing the joy!

Anonymous said...

I'm most impressed by Eve's wardrobe shenanigans.

And...um...there wasn't a web camera on me or anything when you emailed me the news, was there? WAS THERE?!

Anonymous said...

Jay,

Congratulations, first! So many of us writers, right now, are just wishing we were you!

Second--I think these posts have just put it out there about how wonderful writing support is--both from our spouses and from our critique groups. (Of course, I'm not sure if I could wait to tell my group till I told my husband, but that's probably because he's not so good about picking up the phone at work and doesn't even know HOW to get into his voicemail!) I know just how Eve feels--my group is getting really close to all this happening to us; one writer has two separate book deals pending (two series, can you believe it!) and two others have agents wanting whole manuscripts. Me--I'm jumping on their schedule bandwagon & writing like I've never written before. We're all just on a high for each other--its an amazing feeling!

Can't wait to see the book itself!

Disco Mermaids said...

This one time...Jay went missing on us for almost TEN minutes. He "says" he was working out at the gym. Where are those two minutes, Jay? Huh?
What were you doing? Installing a hidden camera on Tammi?
Just so you know, in Friday's episode of "Jay's Gotta Big Head" I am not wearing gym clothes. Even though my arms and belly are not showing, it is still not a flattering set of pictures. So you have that to look forward to.
-Robin

Disco Mermaids said...

I'm glad you're all enjoying the joy! Everytime I read one of your comments I wanna respond right away...but did you know that when someone buys your manuscript and wants to get it out within a year there's a whole heckuva lotta stuff to do right away? I sure didn't!

Anyway, Robin, this whole experience has not given me a big head. I'm still the most humble person you know. In fact, I might even be the most humble person in the entire world!!!

- Jay

Disco Mermaids said...

"In fact, I might even be the most humble person in the entire world!!!"

Actually, you are.

:-) Robin

Stephanie Roth Sisson said...

Wonderful, wonderful! How great that you have this all documented for postarity also- and that you can share this with all of us and bring really good feelings to total strangers and friends who are sharing in your joy. Thanks, and big congratualtions!!

Anonymous said...

O.k., Jay, you know I am overjoyed about your publishing deal because during some of your 100 phone calls to Eve, either I beeped in on you or you beeped in on me. But, I want you to know that I still tear up at the thought (I also say, "holy ______!" quite a bit, too - it must run in the family!), and I've told everyone I came in contact with last week about your success. Too bad it was a bunch of wino cyclists on a bike tour of Napa and not a teen among them. The point is, I am as happy for you as I would be for Eve (or Robin!) because the disco mermaids are Eve's core-group/family, which makes you, by transitive property, my core-group/family (you know, A = B, and B = C, so A = C). Love ya, Lamy