I Scrimped My Entire Life. Then A Life-Changing Email Landed In My Inbox And I Had To Make A Frightening Choice.

I have to read the acceptance letter from GrubStreet’s Online Novel Incubator program twice to believe it.

Dear Ivy, congratulations on your acceptance to this year’s Novel Incubator. Our review panel was impressed by your application and eager to welcome you aboard.

For a moment, all I can hear is my heartbeat.

I’ve been longing for a rigorous, highly regarded novel-rewriting program like this, something that might finally help bring my stories into the world.

After months of laboring over my latest psychological thriller, the effort finally feels like it’s paying off. I picture my novel propped near the front of a bookstore, the title glowing under bright lights, the cover hinting at danger and secrets. Then my eyes land on the number in the congratulatory email.