The Strawberry

CLIFFHANGER

One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice.

As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine.

Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry. He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!

A DREAM

To be an author, I gave myself 2 goals. One of the goals is achievable. Make 1 cent. To profit is the end goal for any writer. A single penny is more than I started with when I began writing. The second goal is pretty near unattainable because it lies outside of my reach. I would like to see my book in an airport bookstore. Why? Only best sellers can be found here. Airport bookstores only sell books that make it to the NY Times best seller list, receive prestigious awards, and the like. They are about moving books quickly, not allowing them to collect dust. Their customers are travelers, who want quick, enjoyable reads.

THE STRAWBERRY

In the anecdote above, you see a man who finds himself in a most precarious position. We have no idea how it turns out for him, but we do know that he found a doorway to something better along the way even if it does not work out for him in the end.

I peddled 11:34 to 3 literary agencies. I've patiently waited close to a month. Then I saw this strawberry dangling before me. Wasting no time, I plucked it. What did I see?

A writing contest involving James Patterson. Yes, that James Patterson, the authoring guru. This is only the second time he committed himself to a writing contest. He co-authors a novel with the winner. I followed the strict criteria and submitted my entry.

James Patterson has a name that transforms novels into gold. Look in airport bookstores and you will find his books lining their shelves. Co-authoring with someone with his qualifications is an rare opportunity indeed. Think of what could be learned sitting, listening at the same table.

Regardless of how this turns out, it will be looked upon as an enjoyable moment along the way, and I would have given my second goal a realistic chance of seeing an airport bookstore.

In any case, I will learn the fate of my entry sometime between April 6 and May 31.