WE HAVE A BOOK DEAL!

Well, there's no sense in beating around the bush, so I'll just come out and say it: WE HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!!

Thanks to our ridiculously awesome and hard-working agent Jamie, we have officially signed with the wonderful Spencer Hill Press. We now have a release date for LITTLE MISS EVIL of March 10, 2015! CHECK IT CHECK IT CHECK IT!

So needless to say, we've been partying like it's 1999.

Which apparently, looks like this

We actually got the offer some time ago, way back in July, so we've been sitting on this news for some time now, unable to tell anyone because contract negotiations were still going on. But now, everything's signed, everything's official, and WE. ARE. PUBLISHED!!!

It really does feel like finishing a marathon. Five years of blood, sweat, and crap, but we finally, finally made it. Getting published has probably been the hardest, most frustrating thing we've ever done. Way harder than Engineering school. But was it worth it in the end?

So what have we learned during our tumultuous tear-filled journey? Well, funny you should ask, because we actually did find three key things that got us to the end. Of course, everyone's journey is different, so these may not apply to you, but these were absolutely crucial for us.

1. You have to write because you love writing. Why? Because this process basically feels like you're getting nowhere right up to the end, and if you write for any other reason (fame, money, recognition, etc.), it's REALLY hard to keep going when it feels like you're not getting any closer. But if you write because you love writing, it doesn't matter how many rejections you get, you'll keep writing regardless.
2. Surround yourself with people better than you. Over the years, we've assembled a crack team of CPs, all of whom are better writers than us. Many, we're convinced, will rocket to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. They taught us everything we know, and we will forever be grateful to them.
3. How you respond to failure will determine if you make it. We wrote a lengthier post on this, so go ahead and check it out, but I'm going to sum it up thusly: In the writing community, rejection is an infinitely renewable commodity. You can either figure out how to harness it, or let it bury you.

So that's it! Our three pearls of wisdom. Hopefully they'll help someone out there.

Now if you'll excuse us, back to partying. 1999 is starting to get lonely.