“Face it, Aunt Jenny. No one’s going to knock on your door and say ‘hey, you got any novels in there we can publish.'”

This is what my niece Coral had to say to me a few summers ago. She was 10 at the time. She’s an avid reader, and I’d hired her to read a novel I was working on and give me some notes. She did and also suggested that I send it to a publisher. A fan of the Warriors books, she’d said, “I think HarperCollins would like this.” I explained it isn’t that easy.

That’s when she gave me her brilliant little response. I’ve been repeating it to myself ever since.

“No one’s going to knock on your door….”

I thought about it when I hit the submit button on Super Bowl Sunday, sending off my poems without a bit of expectation that one would be accepted.

And what do you know?

March opened with one of my poems being selected for the April issue of Jenny.

I’m so appreciative. What a great way to get the Year of Submission going. Not rejected but accepted. What a sweet little confidence boost.

One I’ll need, because I’ve been researching where to send a book manuscript. Just reading the submission guidelines makes my heart rate go up and my hands shake, despite trying to adopt a “looking for the help I need” attitude.

To which my niece, now 14, would probably say “Oh, get over it” or text me the emoji equivalent. Because, of course, no one is going to knock on your door…