Stop laughing. You've probably heard there's a good chance they won't come back from either of these events.

With my NYC publishers, I've had three editors. I lost my first one to a baby. I lost my second to a marriage. I've told my current editor that she's not allowed to either get married or have a baby. She laughed, but I'm sure that if she had the chance to do both, she would. And some come back. My first editor worked when she had two children. She drew the line and stayed home after number three. And took up being an author...a lifelong dream of hers. My second editor would have stayed after her marriage, except her husband-to-be got a wonderful promotion to move elsewhere...and off she went. And now she's pursuing becoming an author. These things happen.

If you get an editor and they start talking marriage and/or babies, my advice is to start thinking alternate strategy. Not to go behind their back and start asking to be reassigned, but just in case, look at the landscape of other editors around her. Have a back up game plan in mind, someone you and/or your agent can request as a next choice.

When my first editor left, my editor told me in advance about her decision. I talked with my agent, and we asked to be reassigned to a specific editor. Though I ceased writing for that publisher, the request was granted. The second time it happened, we were simply advised all at once that the editor was leaving and I had already been reassigned to a new (my current) editor. We didn't get a say-so, but were assured that if the relationship wasn't working they would accommodate us down the road. So far, so good.

With many things in publishing, I wouldn't say brace for the worst. I would say to expect the unexpected--both good and not so good. Every day there are surprises of both the thrilling and annoying varieties. That's just the business.