If I were still employed at The Tennessean, Saturday, June 24, 2006, would have been my 10 year anniversary. But I’m not, so it wasn’t (yea!).

We woke up Saturday morning feeling weird that it was the last full day of residency. Of course, it felt like we’d been there a month or two, and like the time had just flown. Of course, by the fourth day, fatigue is beginning to settle in—especially for me this time, since Wednesday and Thursday were such adrenaline-high days because of my thesis presentation and teaching sessions.

I had my final workshop critique session that morning—David Corwell (graduating) and three newbies: Monica Spence, Stephanie Pfeiffer, and Moira Richardson. I saved my in-depth critiques/comments for the newbies, as there wasn’t much that I found to say on David’s anyway. Even still, with four to critique in three hours with twelve people in the room, Leslie did have to cut me off at least once to keep us on track.

At lunch, all of the Women’s Fiction/Romance students sat together, which was a lot of fun!

The afternoon sessions were the visiting editors/agents blind-critiquing the pages submitted by Ones, Twos, Threes, and Fours who didn’t have completed manuscripts, followed by one-on-one pitch sessions for the other Fours and all Fives/graduating students. I’d originally thought graduating students wouldn’t have to go to the critique sessions until Mike Mullig told me Dr. Al had “strongly suggested” we attend.

Since I was walking with Vanessa Giunta when I left the cafeteria, I just stayed with her and ended up going to the Agent’s first session, which turned out to be very interesting—and I sat beside Melissa (completely a “God Thing,” as I’d put my stuff down in the very back of the room, then gone upstairs to check the room number for my pitch session later).

At 2:00, I went with Melissa to Kate Seaver’s second session. The first mss up for critique was Melissa’s, which Kate said she really liked and wanted to see more. Then, when the second submission went up on the overhead, a collective gasp swept through the Chicks sitting together in the back of the room—I was our absent Chick Jill Henry’s story . . . the one which her mentor had failed, said wasn’t publishable, and said there was no market for. Kate Seaver, Senior Editor for Berkley, LOVED IT and wanted to see more of it! Analisa surreptitiously text messaged Jillicious while the session continued, and I started concocting a plan. . . .

At 3:00, I sat down with Kate Seaver and pitched my book (read my one page synopsis). She said that is sounded like a book she would personally enjoy reading, however . . .

“I know,” I filled in the silence. “You don’t publish inspirational romance.”

So, we chatted for a few minutes about the program. When the clock showed I had about two minutes remaining, I decided to put my plan into action.

“Would it be okay if I did something a little out of the ordinary for a pitch session like this?” I asked her.

“Sure.”

“You remember the second manuscript you critique in your last session, the one about wanting a sperm-donor, not a relationship? You said you’d like to see more of it.”

“Oh, yes.” Her eyes lit up.

“Well, that was written by a friend of mine who couldn’t be here this week. Would it be all right if I told her to go ahead and submit it to you?”

“Definitely! Have her send a five-page synopsis and first three chapters, and have her put in the query letter that I read it here and asked for the submission.”

I was as elated as I would have been if she’d asked me to submit mine! Of course, I immediately had to call Jill and tell her the news so she could start working on putting her submission together.

This situation was just one more example of how God had His hand very visibly involved in everything going on at residency—I’d been required to pitch, even though neither of the editors nor the agent buy/represent my genre. I hadn’t planned to attend the critique sessions, but heard at the last minute that I “should.” I went to the 2nd Kate Seaver Session because I sat beside Melissa in the first session and learned Melissa was being critiqued and wanted to hear it and be there to support her. If God hadn’t brought about that series of events, I never would have had the opportunity to take a situation that was of no benefit to me and turn it into something potentially beneficial for a friend.

We sat outside the room cheering on each person before she went in to pitch. Although Melissa hadn’t been allowed to request a pitch session, we waited until everyone else was finished and then she slipped in to talk to Kate Seaver about her critique and secured an invitation to submit.

After pitch sessions were over, Lainey, Penny Dawn, Analisa, Melissa, and I drove about an hour east of Greensburg to the United Flight 93 memorial. (Melissa and I had a wonderful discussion on the ride over about being salt and light as Christians.) This is the site where the plane crashed on September 11, 2001, after the passengers tried to overcome the terrorists. While they sacrificed their lives, they saved the lives of countless others. Right now, the memorial is “temporary”—an enormous chain link fence holds the tributes left behind by visitors, along with memorials placed by many different groups. Then, about 300 yards away, a large American flag is framed up just over the top of the waving grasses, marking the place where the plane crashed.

Even with as many people as were there, and in spite of the groups of motorcyclists coming and going, the solitude and reverence of the place is moving. And the tributes left on the wall, along with the messages on the memorials, are enough to break even the most hardened of hearts.

I’m so glad I got to see it while it’s still “temporary”—I believe it’s more touching than some fancy, designed memorial will ever be.

Analisa and I headed back to Greensburg together, as we weren’t going to attend the editors/agent’s session or the reception. We did have two invites for afterward, though, but one ended up falling through.

Analisa and I went to Chili’s for dinner, still caught up in some pretty deep emotional conversation, which eventually lightened up.

We went back to the hotel and relaxed while waiting for the other gals to call us when they were finished at the reception and let us know where they were going.

We all ended up at the club/bar at the Sheraton—mostly Threes, Fours, and Fives, which was great, because I knew almost everyone. I had a chance to sit and catch up with Mike and Lee, both of whom I’d hardly seen all residency, and then just enjoyed kicking back with others I might never see again. Lee treated several of us to celebratory shots to toast graduation and then we all just had a good time—although one drink isn’t enough to get me out on the dance floor!

I took a shower when we got back to the hotel while Melissa crashed and Analisa critiqued. Analisa and I then looked at her digital photos from the days before and we finally crashed around 2 a.m.