60-90 Days; it's all relative

I received a self-addressed/stamped postcard from Harlequin today. I had tucked it into the shipping box when I mailed my full manuscript to them on December 21st. On the back of the postcard, where I had inquired about the estimated length of time needed to review my manuscript, the words 60-90 days were penciled in.

Right now, after unexpectedly discovering that a very gifted writer I once knew has died, 60-90 days is too long a time for me to grasp. Instead, I'm suddenly savoring life, one day at a time, forgoing the urge to rush through the whole process of placing my manuscript into the hands of an agent and or publisher.

I'm reluctant to name the author directly, for fear she will be linked to my blog via a Google search; IMHO that seems like it would be disrespectful. So I'm providing a link which will not directly reveal her name within my blog. http://www.independentmail.com/and/news/article/0,1886,AND_8203_5105824,00.html

We were once connected via a crit group we both attended, but had lost touch with each other over the past four years. I'm always anxious to read something new she may have written, so I eagerly Google her name from time to time, hoping to discover a new book or short story that she has had published. Because she was only 52 years old, the thought of discovering her obituary in a Google search of her name NEVER occurred to me.

She was the one writer that I have personally known that has had the greatest impact on my writing and writing goals. The exceptional quality of her writing; her distinct style and dedication to craft helped me set the bar very high regarding my expectations for my writing. I regret that I never had the chance to tell her that. I always assumed we'd reconnect again sometime in the future, when we weren't so busy with our respective family lives, writing projects and just life in general.

I'm patiently waiting for my first book to be published, patiently waiting 60-90 days to hear something from Harlequin. Patiently waiting to hear from the publisher and agent who currently have partial submissions of my manuscript. Patiently waiting for news regarding my dozens of short story and poetry submissions.

I'm patiently waiting . . . because I am so very grateful that I can.