The other day I had an opportunity to give a little something back to someone who had no idea of the impact she’d had on my life. I told her sometime I’d tell her the story and she said she’d love to hear it.

Last night as I was explaining the chain of events to my friend, and how this person is going through a tough and discouraging time, she asked me what I was waiting for. She said, “It sounds like what you have to tell her may be exactly what she needs right now.”

She was right.

A few years ago I waded into “Writer” Twitter. I was still getting my sea legs, had yet to complete my manuscript, and had only begun to scratch the surface of discovering all that I had to learn about writing and publishing a book.

When I finally completed my behemoth of a manuscript, it was bloated and had a major genre identity crisis. I was still learning about the querying process and stumbled into an online pitch contest that resulted in both my first “maybe” and my first rejection (In record time, I might add, but since then that guy’s been cancelled for being a creep so it doesn’t feel quite so bad anymore).

When the next pitch contest was coming up, I reached out for help in crafting my pitch from an anon account called “Tory Hunter,” as in story hunter. Tory provides great editing services that run the gamut. ( http://Toryhunterbooks.com ) A couple times I poked around to see if I could discover Tory’s identity, but, honestly, I kind of enjoy keeping the mystery a mystery.

As a result of connecting with Tory, I began to follow the account of a writer named WB Welch who brought a lot of fun and enthusiasm to Writer Twitter. Soon after, they published a zombie novella together. I admired WB’s writing and her boldness. She was doing stuff, making things happen. I barely had the guts to dip my toe in the water.

In the summer of 2019, WB posted that she’d applied to the New York Pitch conference and had been accepted. I’d never heard of the conference. She said she’d decided she was going to attend, even though it was a little scary going alone. She was going to fly by herself halfway across the country to put her writing in front of agents and editors.

I remember reading those posts and thinking, “That’s really brave.” I felt a slight thrill at the thought of it. Could I do that, too? I didn’t think so.

I decided to submit a chapter just to see if I’d get accepted. After all, there wasn’t any way I was going to fly to New York, I just wanted to know if my stuff was good enough to have the opportunity. I didn’t even tell my husband I was submitting.

When I got the acceptance, fear shot through me. What had been a daydream “I just wanna know” suddenly had become reality. I felt nervous to tell my husband what I’d done. I prefaced it with, “Of course, I’m not really going to do this. It’s just nice to know I could.”

But the longer I sat with it, the more I wanted to go. I wanted to know what I was capable of. I wanted to be brave like WB and fly across the country and see if my stuff is good enough. He had concerns about me traveling alone, but I told him I already knew someone who was going. Also, my sister lived in Brooklyn at the time.

I reached out to WB to let her know I was going too! We talked about the adventure we were about to take, and I was excited to finally meet in person. Then, shortly before we were supposed to go, she had to change her plans. Some things had come up and she had to defer her registration a year to the 2020 conference. I was bummed and a little more nervous, because that meant I’d know absolutely no one when I go there. However, she’d planned to go alone before I signed on, and if she could do it, so could I.

One of the assignments given prior to the conference was subscribing to Publisher’s Marketplace, an online newsletter for announcements in the publishing industry. They said it would be useful for completing another of the assignments, researching comps for our books.

The night before the conference started, I scanned PM for information on book deals and came across one for a mystery author whose series sounded like something I’d want to read. I took a screenshot of it and told myself when I got home I should submit to the agent responsible for the two-book deal.

I won’t bore you with the details, but the conference was great and most of all, I connected with a group of phenomenal women writers. It’s been more than a year and a half and we’re still navigating the ups and downs of life and writing together. In fact, we’re having a catch-up Zoom next week. Their support has been invaluable to me and I never would have met them if it weren’t for WB.

I also wouldn’t have spent several days of that trip reconnecting and bonding with my sister. I wouldn’t have learned to take the subway. I wouldn’t have gained the courage that only comes from taking risks and putting yourself out there to be critiqued. I wouldn’t have learned how to pitch face-to-face. I got my first opportunity to sit in front of an editor from a major NY publisher and have them tell me they want to hear more from me. I was challenged and inspired and encouraged.

After I got home from the conference, I worked on my book and researched agents I felt would be a good fit. I submitted to some of them, but to no avail. I then set my mystery novel aside and began focusing on completing the middle grade adventure book I’d started several years ago.

But then, in the summer of 2020, I decided I’d make one last attempt to get an agent for my adult mystery book before moving on to something else. I’d taken a couple screenwriting seminars and had begun writing a script for the first time.

I looked through all my notes and found the agents I wanted to submit to. Then I remembered I’d screenshot the book deal in NY and hunted down the photo. I located the agent’s info and looked her up. (I’ve been in heavy editing mode for months so all these dangling prepositions are killing me, but I’m leaving ’em.) What I found was a more comprehensive submission process than any other. I was so intimidated I almost didn’t complete it. But I did.

A few weeks later the agent sent a revise and resubmit request. That’s a big deal for those of you unfamiliar with querying. It means they like your writing but something needs to be fixed in your manuscript and they want to see if you’re capable of or willing to make the adjustments. I reached out to Tory and she walked through the changes with me, leading to an offer from the agent. Soon after that, I signed a contract of representation with Dawn Dowdle, who is exactly the right agent for me. I’m so grateful that everything aligned so that I can be under her umbrella and guidance.

Obviously, Covid interfered with WB being able to go to the NY Pitch conference last year and this year she’s been battling chronic health issues. (If you’d like to give her a boost: buymeacoffee.com/wbwelch ) She’s a great writer and a beautiful human.

I just want her to know how her bravery has been so inspirational to me and set things into motion in my life which have enabled me to reach for my dreams. Achieving them is so close I can practically taste it. Also, because of her forging the path, I met my support group who’ve encouraged me every step of the way.

Sometimes we don’t realize how our acts of courage and bravery spill onto those around us. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to let her (and Tory, whoever you are) know how much they’ve inspired me.

WB, you’ve changed my life for the better just by being your brave self. On the days when life feels like it’s kicking your ass, I hope this reminder of who you are and what you’re capable of helps.