There are things a writer only dreams of.  One of them is being "sought out" by a literary agent.  Conventional wisdom will tell you agents don't have the time, or the necessity, to look around for writers to represent.  They have slush piles higher than Mount Everest.  They have talent beating at the door. And for the most part, that is true.   

However, occasionally, an agent stumbles upon a story or an author that gives them a "certain" tingle. They fall in love with the writing first, and if it fits what they solicit, and what publishers are looking for, it is within the realm of reality that they might send the author a query.

Don't think it happens.  Well, I didn't either, until I opened up my e-mail this morning and found this message:

Sometimes the inner bookworm in an Agent gets a bit of a happy tingle in the belly when they read a piece. This is the rarest of sensations ; one that makes all of the hustle and bustle of agenting worth it. Thanks for giving me that small happiness this morning with The Comfort of Cabbages.

I apologize for the Facebook stalk, but your livejournal addy was bouncing back and I had to get in touch! Based in NYC , my company has over 100 celebrity and Pulitzer-Prize writers. Fiction is my passion and I would absolutely love to hear about what you are working on and what your goals are as a writer.

Of course, I went mad.  I called my husband, and e-mailed my friends.  I drooled and dreamed.  I went and made sure it wasn't a hoax.  Yes, she really is an agent with a real agency.  Feel free to be excited for me.

However, once the glam and drool have lost their shine, not all literary agents are created equal.  I have a lot of calm research to do before I make any committments or sign over my current projects to anyone.

If  you ever find yourself being wooed by a literary agent or agency, here are some great sites to help you stay calm, educated, and thinknig with your head instead of your desperate, writerly heart.

SFWA's article on Hunting for a Literary Agent:
http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/hunting-for-a-literary-agent-which-to-keep-and-which-to-shoot/#4

SFWA's things to Beware:
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/agents/

Great post on how to evaluate an agency's website:
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2006/04/victoria-strauss-evaluating-agents.html

Preditors and Editors
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealo.htm

I'll be sure to keep you all posted on further developments.