It's been close to 25 weeks since I sent in my horror manuscript to Samhain--chased it once in early November, and Imogen said my e-mail would be sent to Don (their horror editor). Just for the heck of it, I decided to send her an inquiry last night. My feeling has been, "don't rock the boat," but after 25 weeks without a peep, I figured I'd just throw caution to the wind and inquire again.
This morning, I received notice from Imogen that my e-mail had been sent to Don for an update. Fifteen minutes later, I heard from him. My ghost story, THE BLUE CLASSROOM, will be published by Samhain in mid 2014! I was not only completely shocked, the news knocked me off my feet. It'll take me a while to absorb all of this. THE BLUE CLASSROOM was originally a POD book in 2003, under a different title. I revised it significantly, changed the title, and decided to just go for it without an agent. That resulted in this sale, and the terms look good. Plus, Don wants more from me! I'm just amazed! Will keep everyone posted!
If you've sent something into them, don't give up! I was very patient throughout the entire process. They receive tons of submissions, and it's always been my feeling that no news is good news!