If you’ve watched the 2002 movie version of The Count of Monte Cristo, you’ll recall a phrase that Edmund Dantés and Fernand Mondego say to each other, “King’s to you”. The king is a chess piece they pass back and forth according to which one has a personal achievement to celebrate. The one celebrating becomes king of the moment.
I liked the idea of king of the moment, of giving a well-deserved nod of "good job" to the accomplishments, regardless of importance, that we achieve in our daily lives. I tucked this away in my mental filing cabinet.
Now, from 2002, let’s move forward a few years.
In my quest to learn the ropes of romance writing in preparation for submitting my first novel for publication, I busied myself with entering writing contests and attending writing conferences. In early March of 2006, I traveled to Louisiana to accept a writing award. One of the guest speakers at this conference shared her story of receiving The Call from a NY publishing house that they wanted her book. Although I’ve forgotten the speaker’s name and the details of her story, I do remember her message.
When you get The Call, how will you celebrate?
How will you make every call that follows as special as the first one?
I took her words to heart, so when my call arrived three weeks later, I was ready with sparklers and champagne. My call was actually The E-mail. We’d like to offer a contract for your manuscript… Wow! My clichéd dream come true was coming true.
My sparklers and champagne may seem an insignificant celebration in proportion to the time and effort that goes into writing a story, but for me, it’s just right—inexpensive, simple, and my family can share it with me. For those few minutes, while I’m twirling sparklers and sipping champagne, I look at my little chess piece and remind myself that I’m Queen of the Moment, and it feels great.
Until next time,
Kaye
