Good News!

Sorry for the long silence! I've been busy writing. I finished two first drafts in the last two weeks. One is the draft for the sequel to THE OTHER LIFE and the other is a secret project (nicknamed ALOMF).
BUT that's not the good news I wanted to tell you.
Here it is (from Publishers Marketplace):

Rights to Susanne Winnacker's THE OTHER LIFE, to Anja Schleicher at Heyne in Germany, in a two-book deal, at auction, and to Fernando Baracchini at Novo Conceito in Brazil, by Alex Webb at Rights People on behalf of Julia Churchill at Greenhouse Literary Agency.

THE OTHER LIFE goes international!

Brazil and Germany. *happydance*

Maybe I should start learning Portuguese and plan a visit to Brazil!

I don't need to plan a trip to Germany nor do I have to learn the language.

I live in Germany and German is my first language and my family doesn't speak English well enough to read my books in English, so it was very important for me that my book would be translated into German.

And Heyne? They are part of Random House and a fabulous publisher. They publish writers like Stephen King, John Grisham, Patricia Briggs (who writes the Mercy Thompson series that I loooove) and Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Long story short: I couldn't be happier.

When it starts feeling real...

I, like many other writers, tend to doubt myself, my writing and my achievements. I think it would feel strange if there ever was a day when I didn't have a moment of "oh my god, how did I ever think I could write? I suck!".

But then there are moments when I believe that I can write and that the things I write are good. Sometimes we writers need to be reminded though.

Getting my contract from my publisher Usborne was one of those wonderful reminders.

Even doggie was excited and wanted to take a look at my contract!

So now whenever I think: "Maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and that lovely bookdeal turns out to be a big dream.", I'll just take a look at these pics:

Signing your contract is one of the things on the journey to publication that make it feel real, that convince me that I was lucky enough to not only get an agent but also a bookdeal. And then I allow myself to believe that I'm really living my dream.

Big Announcement!

My book found a US home! Marshall Cavendish bought North American rights of THE OTHER LIFE!! YAY!!! I'm soo happy!

Here's the PM announcement:

Susanne Winnacker's THE OTHER LIFE, in which a girl leaves a sealed
bunker after years in hiding, only to find Los Angeles devastated and
haunted by humans infected with a mutated rabies virus; struggling to
save her family, she falls for a boy-hunter who is both their saviour
and greatest danger when his desire for vengeance threatens them all,
to Robin Benjamin at Marshall Cavendish, for publication in Fall 2012,
by Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency (NA).

Usborne will publish THE OTHER LIFE in Spring 2012 in the UK and Marshall Cavendish will publish it in Fall 2012 in North America!

I'm so excited!