So... Back in March/April an old college friend of mine, who lives in New Orleans, told me, after one of our impassioned ranting phone calls, that the screenwriter David Sheffield was a friend of the family. Sheffield wrote for SNL (he wrote the sketch "James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub") for the longest time and went on to write most of Eddie Murphy's biggest hits in the 80'-90's (Coming to America, Nutty Professor I  & II, Boomerang, etc.) as well as Police Academy 2-5.
Anyhow, my friends in NOLA told me that Sheffield was a family friend and asked if I wanted him to put me in touch with him.
Immediately I thought, "Yeah, right"... People have been promising me for years to put me in touch with people who can help me "break into the biz" and it just hasn't worked out. No one in this world is going to help me but myself... Which is both a blessing (self-advocacy is key in all things) and a curse (sadly, this world treats most of its inhabitants based upon who you know and are associated with).
However, my friend got in touch with members of his family, who got in touch with Sheffield. On April 10th Sheffield wrote,

"Eric is welcome to email me with any questions he may have about the screenwriting business.”

So I wrote him a 2-page letter that started with humility (apologizing if the letter was bothersome or awkward), then a bit of bio, which also detailed my meager accomplishments and accolades in the screenwriting trade, I then asked a slew of important questions and, finally, I gave a heartfelt (and sincere) personal note about my want to be a professional storyteller and transcend my current (albeit comfortable and perfectly acceptable) station in life.

On April 16th Sheffield wrote,

"Dear Erik,

If you would like, you are welcome to send me your screenplay (the one about sex and teenagers, please!) and if I can help by sending it along to my agents I will gladly do so.

Please email it as a Final Draft doc.  If you don't have that, a Microsoft Word doc will do."

I began the script on March 24th and finished it sometime in late May. 

I spell checked it and waited a few days to re-read it to make sure everything gelled.

I sent it to Sheffield on May 24th with the message,

"If that offer you made before still stands, then I present to you Pillow Queen (in Final Draft, as requested).
It's probably not perfect, but any suggestions/advice you'd offer would be taken to heart & implemented readily.
Again, I am immensely grateful for any and every bit of help you might offer.
With gratitude, respect and admiration,"

On May 25th Sheffield wrote back that he was traveling, but that he would read my screenplay and "give [me] a report".

On the one hand I was taken aback.

Wait, I thought, wasn't he just going to slide the script on to his agents(s)...?

But as I was writing the last few scenes of the script I felt insecure, I thought it was getting too talky, too heavy handed.

My college friend even told me, "Use Sheffield for advice and feedback."

Of course, I thought, he's not just going to slide my script to his agent(s) and associate his name with it without reading it first and making sure it's something he wants to be attached to.

So I waited.

I tried to keep morale high and even (against my better judgement) got my hopes up a bit.

 Well, yesterday (June 13th) I received this note,

"Pillow Queen is a smart script, very well written.  Unfortunately, my agent says he is not signing new talent right now. I wish you all the best with your writing."

In a sense I guess I half expected this.

Just yesterday I sent the synopsis for Pillow Queen to Circle of Confusion (a Culver City agency that represents the Wachowski Brothers (creators of the The Matrix) as well as members of the creative team behind Walking Dead). Circle of Confusion has (in the past) requested two of my scripts based on the synopsis I sent them. Both scripts (in 2007 and 2009) were ultimately rejected with generic responses. 

I have my theories as to why, but I digress and (in the end) it doesn't matter.

And now I prepare myself to query every single script agent in the Writer's Guild of America, West (the Los Angeles-based chapter of the Writer's Guild that primarily focuses on screenwriters). See WGAw has a directory of all of their reputable agents. I intend to hit up every single one of them with my concise, yet alluring, query letter.

My friend Tim Scott is nearly done editing my 6th (and best to date) novel Urban Prairie, which I will then send out to just about every agent in the Writer's Digest's Guide to Literary Agents.
And the editor of Dark Moon Digest (who published my short story "Unimportant" in their April issue - # 11) said that, when they open back up to submissions in late July, that she'd like to see more of my more (granted, this was in answer to my inquiry as to whether or not she wanted to read more of my stuff, but an offer is an offer... I say take advantage, whatever comes as a result (be it good or bad) will only add to your motivation). 

So, I am trying to view this in a positive light.

Did I get my hopes up?

Sure.

This seemed like the opportunity with the most potential... certainly the best opportunity that's been presented to me since 2009 when Circle of Confusion requested my werewolf script Cubs.

But I endure and I persist, as only a Harshman can.

In the end, it's just one more opportunity that didn't pan out and another example of how I can only truthfully rely on myself in order to reach the success and obtain the career that I want.

It gives me more motivation to power on and toil endlessly until I get either a novel published (by a real publishing house!) or a screenplay produced.

No matter what this will not deter me.