I have been DYING to tell you this. I mean, simply dying.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 4:40pm, I signed a book contract with Zondervan.
Oh yeah, THIS ZONDERVAN.
Are. You. Dying!??! I know. I know.
In the very same coffee shop where three years ago I finished the manuscript for From Head To Foot, I signed the deal yesterday. You can watch it happen. Because, my dear bloggites, I wished you all could be there when it happened. I really do. I can’t get sappy now, I don’t have it in me, but know that I KNOW you had so much to do with this day. I humbly thank you.
Also, super big thanks to my lit agent Kyle Olund who made all this happen and happen smoothly. He’s awesome.
[The booing at the end is from my friend Amy, who works at a competing publishing house here in Nashville. So it was funny and we all laughed.]Some of my very besties were in attendance because it would be lame to sign that thing alone.
And of course, by besties I mean Nichole, Lyndsay, and my soy chai.
All the details about the new book I shall share tomorrow.
For today, we bask in the beauty of my little name on that “author” line.
Today we celebrate a God-sized dream realized.
Today we celebrate four years of writing lots and working hard and trying and praying and now it has all come together.
I’m really really excited.
Watch out, world. Annie Blogs is comin’ for ya.
Get a sneak peek of Annie’s latest book! Click the link to download two free chapters of Let’s All Be Brave.
© 2014 Annie f. downs. site by Byron Fanning + will smith.
I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how thrilled I am for you. You rock. Congratulations!
ANNIE!! I am so happy for you! And, don’t tell anybody but I totally teared up watching that video…because I’m SO HAPPY for you!
Congratulations! How exciting is that?! You are beaming in those pictures. Gorgeous girl.
Oh Annie! I am so happy, thrilled, excited, and pleased as punch for you! Congratulations and I can’t wait to buy/read your book! Blessings!
REALLY thrilled for you friend. xo
Congratulations, Annie. Can’t wait to read tomorrows post for more details! Wonderful job at powering through all the rough times of being an author/writer.
YAY!! Congratulations, such amazing news.
YEE! HAW!
So proud of you, Annie Downs.
Cheering so loud, sister! Can’t. stop. smiling.
Congratulations!!! So pleased for you and can’t wait to buy it! Well done! (And can’t believe my comment is next to Ann Voskamps….oooh:) )
i may or may not have tears in my eyes right now from reading this! congratulations, annie!!! so happy for you! and can’t wait to hear more about the book!
ANNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So…stinkin’…THRILLED for you!!
Yes, you HAVE been working hard for *this* very thing.
And *that* very thing.
Can’t wait to see this story continue… 🙂
Great news, Annie! So proud of you!!
So… is the book written, or is it something that you will be writing?
Annie! Oh my heart, I am so happy for/proud of/absolutely thrilled for you.
Seeing dreams come true and prayers realized? A great way to start the day. Excellent news, friend.
Congratulations!
OH MY WORD!!!!!!! Grinning so big right now with tears of joy in my eyes for you and this AMAZING accomplishment!! Squeeeeeee!! Can’t wait to read more from your talented self 🙂
Congrats! That has to be one of the most thrilling feelings ever.
ZONDERVAN!!! ANNIE!!! You have hit the BIG TIME! Thrilled for you….and just as excited, or maybe even more excited, for all of the many lives that will be touched because of your book!!
Congratulations! Is this the book you’ve already written or will you be writing something new?
Congrats, Annie!
awesome news Annie!!!! I’m soo proud of You!
Congrats! So excited for you!!
Congratulations, Author Annie!!
That’s awesome, congrats!
Wahoo! Congratulations, Annie! I remember stumbling upon your blog when I was looking for domain names, and you were in the beginning of your self-publishing. And now your words here & at (in)courage challenge & inspire me, and soon in print, too! Can’t wait. Yipee!
Soooo exciting! Zondervan–dang girl! Can’t wait to hear details!
I am SO PROUD of you! Excited to see what the future holds! Love you!
Congratu-freakin-lations!!!! That’s how God roles 🙂
congratulations!!! that is so awesome, Annie!!
Crying! So proud! So excited! So many lives will be blessed by the words of the Lord that will flow through you. Thrilled for you, my friend!
Annie!! Congratulations! I am so excited for you. Happy HAPPY Wednesday.
YES!!!! So pumped for you Annie! You are going to kill it!
Yay!!! SOOOO exciting!!!!!!
YEAH!! CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS WHOLE OPERATIONG TO ANNIE BOOKS @ANNIEBOOKS
Well done Downs. Proud of you.
Now email me back about that other thing.
Congratulations lovely one! Looking forward to the book. All the way over here in africa 😉
You are so baller.
I don’t know what that means, but right now, I’m totally convinced that you are BALLER.
WOOHOO!!!!! Congratulations Annie! I’m so excited for you!!! How awesome that you have this opportunity. Can’t wait to hear about the new book! Love ya girl!
Annie, I couldn’t be more happy and excited for you. Congratulations!!
Annie! This is so exciting!! I can’t wait to read the new book 🙂
By the way, could your handwriting be any cuter??
So thrilled for you! I mostly lurk, but today I declare it ‘Lurk no more day’ in honor of this awesomely awesome news. Well done, Annie!
Congratulations Annie. I’m so happy for you. Looking forward to hearing more good news from you.
Best wishes.
-Lucy
Congratulations, Annie! Can’t wait to hear what you’ll be writing about.
So excited for you!!!
Anya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is amazing!!!! I AM dying and just can’t wait to see where the Lord takes you. YAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh my insides hurt from all the happy. SO Much happy!!!
That is so very cool! Can’t wait to hear the rest of the story.
Yay! Congratulations. Can’t wait to hear about it more tomorrow!
Congratulations, Annie! This is SO awesome and exciting! I hope you plan on all manner of celebrating now that’s official.
Congrats!!!!!!! SO excited for you!
SO PROUD!!!
Annie!! This is amazing! I love your smile in the first pic. The smile of a dream realized.
Wonderful!! Can’t wait to hear all about the book, and more importantly, to buy it & read it!
You look gorgeous. So happy, so alive. I’m so proud of you. xo
practice your signature?
Wonderful news Annie! I’m SO proud of you!!
Congratulations!
Congratulations! That’s exciting!
Woot! Congrats to ya, Annie! This is so exciting. 🙂
*Squeal!*
That is so very exciting! So happy for you! Congratulations!
Wow! I’m so happy for you. Congrats!
WOW!! Congrats!!
Congratulations, Annie! I’m the girl that got to interview you last March at The Frothy Monkey for a paper I was writing and you were so kind to do that for me. So very, very happy for you and can’t wait to read your next book!
So happy for you!
This is so exciting! Congratulations!
What fabulous news! Congrats again and again!
Wow! I’m a day late reading this, so my joyful congratulations for you are bit tardy. What a great blessing, and what a fabulous lesson in standing on the promises og God in our lives. Booyah, Annie!
ANNIE!!! 🙂 This is incredible. So happy for you. Wow! God is so. so. good.
So proud of you Annie! And you deserve it- your book is incredible, as are you. Just started rereading it and am loving it all over again! Love you!
Congrats! So exciting!!
So absolutely wonderful!! Well deserved
I’m so excited for you. Congratulations!! You have been waiting a long time for this..and God’s blessing arrived…Yeah!
God bless you
[…] Annie and Valerie, you remind me of what it means to hope and dream and work, and to wind up somewhere beyond what you thought was possible. I’m so incredibly proud of both of you. (Also, let’s just take a moment to recognize how GORGEOUS they both look – good grief.) […]
ANNIE! I am (per usual) SO WAY LATE to this amazing and terrific news! I just saw it through the WestBow web site–they’ve been promoting your story lately. Anyway, forgive me for being so out-of-the-loop late and oblivious to your spectacular news! All the best and HUGE (and much deserved!!!) blessings to you and your CONTRACTED BOOK!!!! We all knew you rocked WAY before a publisher did. 🙂