How My Spam Folder Made My Day (or rather, the email in it)

Even though I use the spam filters that come with Outlook, even though I purchased and used an additional spam filtering program called Ella for Outlook (which I love), it still happens that good email ends up where it shouldn't.  Just this past weekend, a really, really, really, really good email ended up in my Spam folder.  This after I'd received a few other emails from this person right into my homey little Inbox.  

So, can you guess?…

I'll give you a hint…I'm a writer.  What could possibly be that good? 

You got it! I received "the Call" (hereafter known as The Most Amazing Email Ever) in email form.  My first manuscript, Something About Her, was picked up for publication with the Wild Rose Press.  (Which for some reason, I keep wanting to say as the Wild Press Rose.  Don't ask, I couldn't tell you.)

Care to join my Snoopy Happy dance?  I wish I could say this isn't what I looked like when I frantically dialed (and misdialed and redialed again) my husband to share the news as soon as I fished The Most Amazing Email Ever out of my Spam folder and into it's rightful place in my Inbox.

My short little story: I sent my query to Wild Press Rose (see, told ya) on Thursday, two weeks ago.  Friday, I received the request for the partial which I promptly sent.  That same afternoon, I received the request for the full.  After spending a few days reading through the entire thing and polishing/editing one more time, I sent that out on Monday night.  The email hit my spam folder on Friday night, and my shocked, elated eyes on Saturday morning.  I never expected it to move so fast!  Today, I dropped the contracts in the mail and I imagine we'll soon get started on cutting that word count.

But anyway, back to the Spam folder.  Consider this my good deed for the day: Check your spam folders!  You may have "safe listed" everyone you know, but you could miss something good in between the dozens of "Enlarge your [insert sexual organ here]" and the "Cut your Mortgage Rate by 326%" emails. 

Here's another hint.  If you use email to query or correspond with an agent or editor, it's good practice to add their names to your safelist as soon as you've sent that first email.  Then you can guarantee they won't end up in the Spam folder.  (I have since done this with my brand-new editor's email address.)

I lost about four hours of Snoopy Happy Dance time because The Most Amazing Email Ever ended up in my spam folder.  That's how long it took me to find it.  And that was prime Happy Dance time!

Though I'm sure my story isn't much different from most writers, this is the dream I have wanted for almost 30 years.  Since I was six…I believed I would be an author.  I told everyone I knew I would be one some day. Today, I am.  Soon to be published. 

It's a great day for dreams.