If there were grades for fortune tellers, I would usually net a D. Perhaps a few of my forecasts do land close to the money. But generally my predictions are off-target far more than they are correct. And that’s acceptable, since only a fool or a maniac claims he knows everything headed his way.

However, when it comes to the agent who is reconsidering The Last Track, there are signs I could be on the right course. I mentioned in an earlier post that I would not comment until February 1. This decision–which rests on a very long consideration of the holiday schedule, their probable workload and some inside information about the publishing culture–looks almost prescient now.

Based on my hunch, I sent them a note on Tuesday. In short, I wished them a happy holiday, thanked them for their time again, and then asked if they had all the materials they needed for a decision.

About five minutes later this response arrived:

“Still working through a few manuscripts from December. Hope to get to yours soon!”

Soon is a relative term, but I believe a definitive answer will arrive before my February 13th birthday.