Still no word from Avalon Books. Don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing.

I made some progress with Chapter 11 of PSI Emergency. Three pages so far. Including this chapter, I have 4 chapters to go to finish the second section of the book.

I checked on some of Kimberly Cameron's clients and I am definately sure I will ask her to be my agent if Avalon Books calls.

I finished the detailed outline for the next book in the series, Spectral Murder. I'm really pleased with it. I'm not sure if I'll actually start writing it soon. I wanted to wait until getting Avalon's response before starting it. Partly because I don't want to jinx it by assuming I'll make the sale, partly because I'm sure it'd make me even more obsessed about my submission. I'm already consumed with wondering where the manuscript is. Is it still in the postal route, held up by the search for anthrax letters? Is it in the mailroom of the publishing house, waiting to be delivered? Has it landed on the editor's desk, but she has not had a chance to read it? Has she read it, liked it and is now passing it around to get the opinion of the editorial committee? Has she read it, rejected it, and now it is back in the mail on its way back home? ACK! It's driving me wacky!

I just got back from mailing "Nipped Red-Handed" to Cricket. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've picked an agent that I think I'll call if Avalon Books makes an offer on Complimentary Murder. She is Kimberly Cameron of Reece Halsey North. She represents several mystery writers, most of whom are writing series. I found her website at http://www.literaryagents.org which seems like the best site to pick an agent I've found on the internet.

I did still pick up a writer's guide to literary agents from the library to glance through. I also want to check Publisher's Weekly's website to see if she is mentioned.

I was going to revise my short story "Cat on Duty" to submit to Cricket Magazine so that it had a young teenager in the cast, to hopefully increase its appeal for the Young Adult fiction magazine. Instead I did a minor editing job on "Nipped Red-Handed". Both stories are humorous mysteries featuring a cat named Nipper. My hope is that these Nipper mysteries become a series in a magazine and then eventually will lead to a short story collection and/or novels.

The reason I pick "Nipped Red-Handed" instead was because it already had a fourteen-year-old character. Saved time and editing agony.

This was the first submission that is going out under the name "Amanda Marie".

I still have "Swept Away" in my 'to do' folder and hope to revise it and send it out soon.

Mostly, I am just giving myself busy work to keep from dwelling on the manuscript that Avalon Books is considering.

Like usual, I spent too much time surfing the internet today. The eternal seach for an agent is on again. I'd like to have someone picked out so if I should get a call from Avalon Books about Complimentary Murder I can be prepared to call them ASAP.

I also spent too much time today organizing my submissions log. Any possible way to reference which markets I've submitted which stories, their response and the dates, I've got a file for it. How depressing!

I finish Chapter 9 for my new novel PSI Emergency, and started Chapter 11. I'll go back and do Chapter 10 afterwards.

I also printed out my short stories "Cat on Duty" and "Swept Away" which I hope to revise and submit to children's magazines soon.

Whelp, I just set up this blogger account and I don't know how to work it yet. Hang in there with me while I figure it out. If you want to check out my homepage it is at http://www.angelfire.com/md/meadowlark