An Edge-of-Gatekeeper's-seat manuscript

I know I've got a good YA manuscript when it starts to make me uncomfortable--that whole age is uncomfortable, and if I start to get nervous--nervous like I would be, were I to walk down a junior high hallway now (never mind that I'm still the same height as most of the kids), it means the world is vivid, well-drawn, compelling and worth following. And then the sensory stuff starts. YA Protagonist finds her hair was messy while facing a rival; my hand goes to mine, searches for tangles. Protagonist gets hungry, I think (more) about Buffalo mozzarella. Protagonist smiles at a cute boy and her ears flush; mine get warm. Cute boy admits to liking Protagonist--and I grin like an idiot.

And protagonist slowly edges into paranormal territory--but it's page 36 and something better happen by page 60--and my nerves are a wreck. It's like watching television. It's like yelling at the televised soon-to-be-victim, usually a slight girl running up the stairs where a murderer waits, No! Hurry! Get out! Call 911! THERE'S A KILLER IN YOUR COAT CLOSET!


Except...I have faith that something will happen, and at just the right time.

Time for a lunch break to collect myself (Trader Joe's cheesy green chile tamales--highly recommended), and then--we'll see. Aw, who am I kidding? Manuscript is coming with me, on the Kindle.

*

And yes, just in case you're wondering, Gatekeeper has a *slight* obsession with cheese. The buffalo mozzarella came up because I kept seeing the word "buffalo"; the green tamales--well, I really like them (and not just because they're portable and fit easily into a purse) and eat them often.

But the main thing is that, one time, I came back from a book event, and my boss asked me how it was. My response? "The cheese was excellent!" Now, well, it's a running office joke.