Mickey J. Corrigan's Blog, page 2
December 2, 2014
Keep It Short or Not
Although I am a writer and have been for many years, I spend much of my time editing manuscripts for other writers. So many times my clients tell me they "need" to add 10,000 or 30,000 words. Or 2973 words! Why? What does the word count matter if the story is complete and the manuscript is polished?
Unfortunately, word count does matter to literary agents and publishing houses. Many will only accept for review manuscripts that meet certain length requirements. This means authors are shaping their stories to fulfill the current size guidelines.
I think this is a shame. Your story is your story and should take up the space it needs and deserves. A novel is a novel if it tells a complete story, has depth of character, and sweeps the reader along for a full ride. That ride may only take a reader a single afternoon, or it can last for months. There are great stories that fill thick volumes, others that fill only a hundred pages.
To share an example, I edited a manuscript for a client who has written an engaging story about a man who faced and surmounted some difficult odds. It's a story of triumph of will. The manuscript was well written and together we edited and polished it until it shone.
Then my client attended a writers conference where he met with two literary agents. Both told him the manuscript was too short and would need to be 100,000 words. He returned with his hopes for publication crushed. His choices appeared to be to write a new book, expand his story with fluff, or give up.
I have gently suggested trying elsewhere first. He could show his manuscript to the agents and small presses that do not require such a large word count. However, his passion for the work has been squelched. He is inexperienced and does not understand how you have to pound on a lot of doors before one opens.
Some of my favorite novels are short. The Great Gatsby. The Postman Only Rings Twice. The Old Man and the Sea. Animal Farm. The Outsiders. The Giver. Would these books be published today by the big American publishing houses? Probably not. Would we have missed out on some of the best literature ever written? I think so.
Unfortunately, word count does matter to literary agents and publishing houses. Many will only accept for review manuscripts that meet certain length requirements. This means authors are shaping their stories to fulfill the current size guidelines.
I think this is a shame. Your story is your story and should take up the space it needs and deserves. A novel is a novel if it tells a complete story, has depth of character, and sweeps the reader along for a full ride. That ride may only take a reader a single afternoon, or it can last for months. There are great stories that fill thick volumes, others that fill only a hundred pages.
To share an example, I edited a manuscript for a client who has written an engaging story about a man who faced and surmounted some difficult odds. It's a story of triumph of will. The manuscript was well written and together we edited and polished it until it shone.
Then my client attended a writers conference where he met with two literary agents. Both told him the manuscript was too short and would need to be 100,000 words. He returned with his hopes for publication crushed. His choices appeared to be to write a new book, expand his story with fluff, or give up.
I have gently suggested trying elsewhere first. He could show his manuscript to the agents and small presses that do not require such a large word count. However, his passion for the work has been squelched. He is inexperienced and does not understand how you have to pound on a lot of doors before one opens.
Some of my favorite novels are short. The Great Gatsby. The Postman Only Rings Twice. The Old Man and the Sea. Animal Farm. The Outsiders. The Giver. Would these books be published today by the big American publishing houses? Probably not. Would we have missed out on some of the best literature ever written? I think so.
October 18, 2014
Sex Discrimination in Publishing or Something Else?
Take a look at this response from a publisher to a query for my pulpy crime novel. When I asked why the lack of female representation in his catalog, he pointed to the inclusion of the two female authors he's published.
Thanks for getting in touch, Mickey. We don’t do many series – more often we publish just individual stand-alone novels. And one of the few series we do have…[NAMES 2 BOOKS] *are* written by a real female...We’d always be open to adding another female author to the line, of course. But we’re getting about 1,000 submissions per year at this point and only publishing 4 books, so we have to say no to more than 99% of the books we see. And that means a book really has to stand out as a perfect fit for us in order for us to go for it, and I’m afraid this one does not.
A rejection? Pour moi? In this publisher's defense, I will say I was not expecting an acceptance letter. This is a top-notch publishing house with household name authors. But why the lack of talented female writers filling out that list? Two females? In the entire catalog?
According to the publisher, few female writers submit to the press. The publisher says this about that:
Keep in mind that I also reject 99.6% of all the books we get from male authors – the vast majority of those don’t wow me either. But the difference is that if you get 1,000 submissions from men, you can reject 996 and still buy 4. If you get only 100 or 200 submissions from women, you can’t reject 99.6 and buy 0.4 of a book (or reject 199.2 and buy 0.8 of one) – you either reject 99 and buy 1 or reject 100 and buy zero. In any event you end up with one book or zero books, which isn’t a large number either way.
So, is this sex discrimination? Or do the genres naturally fall into well-defined categories determined by sex—of readers and of writers?
But wait: aren't 80 percent of book buyers female?
Hmmmm. What do you think? Is it more difficult to get published if you are a woman? A guy in my writers' group claims today's agents are only looking for women writers. The next author of a Potter, Twilight, or Fifty Shades. And he says agents want minority writers. So white guys have no lit cred anymore.
What's your experience?
Read the original post and some interesting comments here: http://revisionseditions.blogspot.com...
Thanks for getting in touch, Mickey. We don’t do many series – more often we publish just individual stand-alone novels. And one of the few series we do have…[NAMES 2 BOOKS] *are* written by a real female...We’d always be open to adding another female author to the line, of course. But we’re getting about 1,000 submissions per year at this point and only publishing 4 books, so we have to say no to more than 99% of the books we see. And that means a book really has to stand out as a perfect fit for us in order for us to go for it, and I’m afraid this one does not.
A rejection? Pour moi? In this publisher's defense, I will say I was not expecting an acceptance letter. This is a top-notch publishing house with household name authors. But why the lack of talented female writers filling out that list? Two females? In the entire catalog?
According to the publisher, few female writers submit to the press. The publisher says this about that:
Keep in mind that I also reject 99.6% of all the books we get from male authors – the vast majority of those don’t wow me either. But the difference is that if you get 1,000 submissions from men, you can reject 996 and still buy 4. If you get only 100 or 200 submissions from women, you can’t reject 99.6 and buy 0.4 of a book (or reject 199.2 and buy 0.8 of one) – you either reject 99 and buy 1 or reject 100 and buy zero. In any event you end up with one book or zero books, which isn’t a large number either way.
So, is this sex discrimination? Or do the genres naturally fall into well-defined categories determined by sex—of readers and of writers?
But wait: aren't 80 percent of book buyers female?
Hmmmm. What do you think? Is it more difficult to get published if you are a woman? A guy in my writers' group claims today's agents are only looking for women writers. The next author of a Potter, Twilight, or Fifty Shades. And he says agents want minority writers. So white guys have no lit cred anymore.
What's your experience?
Read the original post and some interesting comments here: http://revisionseditions.blogspot.com...
September 18, 2014
Waiting for Release
No, not that kind of release. The publishing kind.
I've been publishing books for a long time now. I hate to say how many years, so I won't. But I will say that even though I've seen some aspects of publishing change dramatically, other things have remained the same.
For example, it is still a massive bummer to get a rejection from a publisher. Readers assume once you have a publisher, they'll accept everything you send their way. This isn't true, and having a long list of books in print is no guarantee that anyone else will take your newest creation. Some books nobody wants to publish. No matter what your publishing history looks like.
Unless you are J.K. Rowling. Which, or course, most of us are not.
Another aspect of publishing that has yet to change is the pace. It's always taken a long time to hear back on submissions, and now, in the digital age, it still takes weeks or months for a publisher to decide on your work. The bigger the house, the longer the wait. This encourages new writers to self-publish. After all, your book could be in print and selling before you even get a rejection slip in your inbox.
But what if you receive an acceptance letter?
Then…the wait continues. Because even when a publisher does contract you, it still seems to take forever before your book is released. This holds true for most digital publishers as well as the print presses. This is because your manuscript has to go to the bottom of the pile and edge its way slowly upward until it sits on top of your editor's desk. You have to wait your turn. And the bigger the press, the longer that takes.
Finally, you receive manuscript edits from your editor. Hooray! But this is only round one. Depending on what needs to be done to polish your manuscript, there might be one, two, or more rounds of edits before the manuscript moves on to the next stage of editing. And still, your job is not done. You will be looking over the line edits. Then you will look at the galleys.
Do I have to say here that the editing process is a long one? Being able to email your manuscript back and forth with your editor does speed up the process. We used to have to trade editing rounds through the U.S. mail.
After you and your editor have selected the cover design and agreed on the back copy, your book will be assigned a release date. Sometime in the future. Possibly way in the future.
The publishing process used to frustrate me. I spent a lot of stressful hours, days, weeks and months worrying about my books in press. What a waste of energy! If I knew then what I know now, I would have used the time to prepare promotional campaigns and conduct research for the next book. Because there is serious lag time between the completion of a manuscript and holding the book in your hand—or seeing it on your screen.
But this is the way publishing works. Just like honing your craft to improve your writing, the publishing process is an art. And it takes time.
Having a lot of patience helps when you are waiting for a book to be released. I am not a patient person. Ask anyone who knows me. But I do think the process is worthwhile. With the help of a publisher, the errors in my manuscript are corrected. Rough edges are smoothed. The cover is artfully designed. Skilled professionals have given me feedback and shared their expertise. So when my book is finally released, I can feel confident it is the very best I could do.
As for what has changed in publishing during my years as an author, that's a topic for another blog post. Or ten. But as every writer knows, now you have the option to do it all yourself. It's fast, cheap and easy. So, if you just can't wait any longer, you can always choose to be your own publisher. I'm always thinking about doing that myself.
Originally appeared on Room with Books: http://roomwithbooks.com/corrigan-sug...
I've been publishing books for a long time now. I hate to say how many years, so I won't. But I will say that even though I've seen some aspects of publishing change dramatically, other things have remained the same.
For example, it is still a massive bummer to get a rejection from a publisher. Readers assume once you have a publisher, they'll accept everything you send their way. This isn't true, and having a long list of books in print is no guarantee that anyone else will take your newest creation. Some books nobody wants to publish. No matter what your publishing history looks like.
Unless you are J.K. Rowling. Which, or course, most of us are not.
Another aspect of publishing that has yet to change is the pace. It's always taken a long time to hear back on submissions, and now, in the digital age, it still takes weeks or months for a publisher to decide on your work. The bigger the house, the longer the wait. This encourages new writers to self-publish. After all, your book could be in print and selling before you even get a rejection slip in your inbox.
But what if you receive an acceptance letter?
Then…the wait continues. Because even when a publisher does contract you, it still seems to take forever before your book is released. This holds true for most digital publishers as well as the print presses. This is because your manuscript has to go to the bottom of the pile and edge its way slowly upward until it sits on top of your editor's desk. You have to wait your turn. And the bigger the press, the longer that takes.
Finally, you receive manuscript edits from your editor. Hooray! But this is only round one. Depending on what needs to be done to polish your manuscript, there might be one, two, or more rounds of edits before the manuscript moves on to the next stage of editing. And still, your job is not done. You will be looking over the line edits. Then you will look at the galleys.
Do I have to say here that the editing process is a long one? Being able to email your manuscript back and forth with your editor does speed up the process. We used to have to trade editing rounds through the U.S. mail.
After you and your editor have selected the cover design and agreed on the back copy, your book will be assigned a release date. Sometime in the future. Possibly way in the future.
The publishing process used to frustrate me. I spent a lot of stressful hours, days, weeks and months worrying about my books in press. What a waste of energy! If I knew then what I know now, I would have used the time to prepare promotional campaigns and conduct research for the next book. Because there is serious lag time between the completion of a manuscript and holding the book in your hand—or seeing it on your screen.
But this is the way publishing works. Just like honing your craft to improve your writing, the publishing process is an art. And it takes time.
Having a lot of patience helps when you are waiting for a book to be released. I am not a patient person. Ask anyone who knows me. But I do think the process is worthwhile. With the help of a publisher, the errors in my manuscript are corrected. Rough edges are smoothed. The cover is artfully designed. Skilled professionals have given me feedback and shared their expertise. So when my book is finally released, I can feel confident it is the very best I could do.
As for what has changed in publishing during my years as an author, that's a topic for another blog post. Or ten. But as every writer knows, now you have the option to do it all yourself. It's fast, cheap and easy. So, if you just can't wait any longer, you can always choose to be your own publisher. I'm always thinking about doing that myself.
Originally appeared on Room with Books: http://roomwithbooks.com/corrigan-sug...
July 22, 2014
The 12 Steps of Getting Your Book Published
1. Write your first novel. Read it over. Despair, then drink. This is normal. Now buckle down and rewrite it. Like fifty times.
2. Polish the words to a diamond shine and submit the manuscript to literary agents. Toast yourself. Count all the chickens, don't worry about hatching them first.
3. After no response from agents, or the usual no thanks, keep writing, sucker, turn bleak. Despair. Drink.
4. Half sober, attend a writers conference where, in comparing yourself to other writers, you feel less confident and more unlucky. Pay an expert to give you encouragement to keep submitting your novel.
5. Submit to more literary agents. Experience minimal enthusiasm, maximal self-loathing.
6. Receive an acceptance letter. A literary agent in NYC wants to rep your work! Weep. Rejoice. Break out the Champagne.
7. Prepare the proposal and synopsis. Hold your breath as your agent submits your work to top publishing houses. OMG, the film option, you can smell it!
8. Pray. Twitch. Worry. Fret. Have panic attacks. Drink.
9. Wait and wait. Lose confidence, lose heart.
10. Wait another year. Hope lightly, drink heavily.
11. Reclaim your work from your agent. Sculpt it in order to fit a totally cool publisher's submission guidelines. Submit and forget. Move on with your life.
12. Receive an acceptance letter from the totally cool publisher. What? No! Yes!! Weep. Rejoice. Buy Champagne and put it on ice. Chill until the release of your book.
Good news: Salt Publishing will release Songs of the Maniacs on October 1, 2014. Check out their Modern Dreams imprint, a new line of edgy urban fiction, here: http://www.saltpublishing.com/modernd...
2. Polish the words to a diamond shine and submit the manuscript to literary agents. Toast yourself. Count all the chickens, don't worry about hatching them first.
3. After no response from agents, or the usual no thanks, keep writing, sucker, turn bleak. Despair. Drink.
4. Half sober, attend a writers conference where, in comparing yourself to other writers, you feel less confident and more unlucky. Pay an expert to give you encouragement to keep submitting your novel.
5. Submit to more literary agents. Experience minimal enthusiasm, maximal self-loathing.
6. Receive an acceptance letter. A literary agent in NYC wants to rep your work! Weep. Rejoice. Break out the Champagne.
7. Prepare the proposal and synopsis. Hold your breath as your agent submits your work to top publishing houses. OMG, the film option, you can smell it!
8. Pray. Twitch. Worry. Fret. Have panic attacks. Drink.
9. Wait and wait. Lose confidence, lose heart.
10. Wait another year. Hope lightly, drink heavily.
11. Reclaim your work from your agent. Sculpt it in order to fit a totally cool publisher's submission guidelines. Submit and forget. Move on with your life.
12. Receive an acceptance letter from the totally cool publisher. What? No! Yes!! Weep. Rejoice. Buy Champagne and put it on ice. Chill until the release of your book.
Good news: Salt Publishing will release Songs of the Maniacs on October 1, 2014. Check out their Modern Dreams imprint, a new line of edgy urban fiction, here: http://www.saltpublishing.com/modernd...
June 30, 2014
How I Rated Hillary Clinton's Book So Fast
I love trashing books. So I couldn't wait for the release of Hillary's new tome. I was sure I'd hate it, so I rated it before I read it.
No, that's not true. I read it real fast (it's more than 800 pages with a lot of big words and long sentences. Yawn). I didn't like her tone.
Well, actually, I skimmed the book. There were too many boring parts. Like what is this thing she harps on, this Benghazi? Isn't that an endangered tiger or something?
Okay, so I only read the parts about Monica. I wanted to hear Hillary's side of it. Like, was she jealous of the pudgy intern or indifferent?
All right, here's the real story. I didn't read Hillary's book. It's mostly about other parts of the world. Like China. Who cares about China? They aren't even going to sell her book over there, the government of China is mad because she says they don't do business right. Why should they sell her book? It's a free country. Right?
Bottom line? I didn't even buy the book. I just rated it low as I could on Goodreads and Godamazon. And now? I feel I've done my part as a citizen of the best place ever. I voted no on Hillary's book.
Vote now. Don't wait until you read it. Trash the book. Be a proud American.
No, that's not true. I read it real fast (it's more than 800 pages with a lot of big words and long sentences. Yawn). I didn't like her tone.
Well, actually, I skimmed the book. There were too many boring parts. Like what is this thing she harps on, this Benghazi? Isn't that an endangered tiger or something?
Okay, so I only read the parts about Monica. I wanted to hear Hillary's side of it. Like, was she jealous of the pudgy intern or indifferent?
All right, here's the real story. I didn't read Hillary's book. It's mostly about other parts of the world. Like China. Who cares about China? They aren't even going to sell her book over there, the government of China is mad because she says they don't do business right. Why should they sell her book? It's a free country. Right?
Bottom line? I didn't even buy the book. I just rated it low as I could on Goodreads and Godamazon. And now? I feel I've done my part as a citizen of the best place ever. I voted no on Hillary's book.
Vote now. Don't wait until you read it. Trash the book. Be a proud American.
June 6, 2014
Geekus Interruptus free on Amazon
The hot little romance about people you love to hate. A gorgeous Barbie suspects her brilliant nerd husband is having an affair. The lengths she goes to in order to catch him in the act should make you laugh. Unless you are one of those readers who takes offense.
Sexy, zany and full of sass, Geekus Interruptus is free now on Amazon. Check it out!
http://www.amazon.com/Geekus-Interrup...
June 2, 2014
How about a Hit on that Cheating Spouse?
Men: you can't live with them, you can't kill them.
Oh, wait: with Ex-treme Measures, you can kill them.
Vanna Treme runs a domestic investigations agency in downscale West Pam Beach, Florida. She spies on cheating spouses for the wealthy women of Palm Beach. Her job consists of providing the bad news to devastated clients, while struggling to recover from her own imploded marriage. Vanna wishes she had a dime for every time an irate client has told her: "I don't care what it costs, I want that man dead."
Instead, she often has a generous deposit and a job to do. Ex-treme Measures not only offers clients private investigation for domestic problem solving, Vanna's unique PI firm offers special services designed to get rid of the source.
Forever.
Ringo, Vanna's trusted assistant, is concerned. A hunky ex-cop with bulging biceps and a big heart, he's worried their clients are lying to them, local competition is moving in, and everyone in South Florida is crazy or untrustworthy—or both. Vanna, however, keeps lining up the rich bitches of Palm Beach, desperate women seeking to outsource revenge.
Read the beginning of the novel here, as it appears on Akashic Press's noir fiction site, "Mondays are Murder":
When You Need to Outsource Revenge
“I don’t care what it costs, I want that man dead.”
Mrs. Boscoe’s perfectly sculpted face pinkened. Her soft voice rose in pitch. I could tell she meant what she’d said. I’d been in the game long enough to be able to separate the Chicken Littles from the cash cows. Killing scumbag husbands was a dirty business, but a lucrative one. I had blood and grime beneath my unpolished nails. Still, being a hit woman paid the bills.
Turning aside for a moment to face the slim laptop on my desk, I tapped on the keyboard and pulled up the standard private investigations release contract. After sending it to print, I told my new client, “I’ll need you to sign this before you pay the retainer fee.” I kept my voice even, steady. To help the client remain calm. This was make it/break it time. The printer whirred.
I slid the form across my clean glass desk. Mrs. Boscoe skimmed the legalese. Her tastefully bleached hair formed a solid yellow curtain that hid her fine-boned model’s face. Her manicure was French, her breasts perky saline. The tight taupe skirt a recent Dior, the perfume old-time Chanel. Of course, the shoes were Jimmy Choo, the bag Hermès. I was used to her type: rich bitches from the spoiled island of Palm Beach. Still, I was on her side. One hundred percent.
My newest client handed me the signed contract and a deposit of five thousand dollars. Her salon-tanned hand shook as she counted out the Benjamins. “What happens next?”
“Now you go home and slip into something more comfortable,” I advised. “Your job for the next month is to have as much sex with your husband as you can stand. Lounge around in your teddies. Mix him his favorite cocktails. Make him his favorite meals. Do whatever he asks, and do it with a smile. Try to get away on vacation. See if you can convince him to fly to Bora Bora with you. Or Paris. Buy new lingerie. Get a bikini wax, a Botox treatment.” She winced. “This is the last ditch stage. Sometimes it actually works.”
One time it worked. But I don’t tell my clients the odds. It’s too discouraging.
“Whatever happens, be sure to call your friends and tell them how wonderful everything is,” I continued. “Tell everyone you’ve fallen back in love. Kiss him on the lips when you’re out in public. Hold his hand in restaurants. Throw yourself at him in front of the staff. Make sure everyone thinks you two are back on track.”
She nodded before asking the same question they all ask. “What about that bitch he’s sleeping with?”
They always want to know what they should do about the other woman. I tell them all the same thing, but really, it’s useless. They can’t forget about her. If they could, they wouldn’t be here on the mainland, sitting in my minimalist office in down and dirty West Palm, slut sister city to married-up Palm Beach. If these women could just ignore their rich husbands’ dalliances, they wouldn’t be paying me the big bucks. And I wouldn’t be exterminating their cheating spouses.
“Forget about her,” I told Mrs. Boscoe. “You need to focus your energy on your husband. And if he goes for it, if everything works out, I’ll be happy for you. So happy I’ll refund your money.”
Like I said, that’s only happened once. One time in the seven years I’ve been open for business. Nine months after I refunded that particular retainer fee, the client returned. Now she’s the owner of a multimillion–dollar real estate company and her husband’s six feet under. Where he belongs.
I accompanied Mrs. Boscoe to my office door. She walked with the smooth grace of a ballroom dancer. I would kill for legs like hers. Soon enough, that would be exactly what I would do.
***
Thirty-seven days later, Mr. Boscoe was reported missing. His eighty-foot yacht had sunk off the coast of Bimini. A young woman—not his wife—had been with him at the time. In glittery bistros and gluttonous mansions, Palm Beach tittered over the scandal. Here in West Palm, we snickered over our cardboard cups of take-out coffee.
West Palm is the place for Palm Beach wives to outsource revenge. Because I back all my clients. One hundred percent.
http://www.akashicbooks.com/when-you-...
Oh, wait: with Ex-treme Measures, you can kill them.
Vanna Treme runs a domestic investigations agency in downscale West Pam Beach, Florida. She spies on cheating spouses for the wealthy women of Palm Beach. Her job consists of providing the bad news to devastated clients, while struggling to recover from her own imploded marriage. Vanna wishes she had a dime for every time an irate client has told her: "I don't care what it costs, I want that man dead."
Instead, she often has a generous deposit and a job to do. Ex-treme Measures not only offers clients private investigation for domestic problem solving, Vanna's unique PI firm offers special services designed to get rid of the source.
Forever.
Ringo, Vanna's trusted assistant, is concerned. A hunky ex-cop with bulging biceps and a big heart, he's worried their clients are lying to them, local competition is moving in, and everyone in South Florida is crazy or untrustworthy—or both. Vanna, however, keeps lining up the rich bitches of Palm Beach, desperate women seeking to outsource revenge.
Read the beginning of the novel here, as it appears on Akashic Press's noir fiction site, "Mondays are Murder":
When You Need to Outsource Revenge
“I don’t care what it costs, I want that man dead.”
Mrs. Boscoe’s perfectly sculpted face pinkened. Her soft voice rose in pitch. I could tell she meant what she’d said. I’d been in the game long enough to be able to separate the Chicken Littles from the cash cows. Killing scumbag husbands was a dirty business, but a lucrative one. I had blood and grime beneath my unpolished nails. Still, being a hit woman paid the bills.
Turning aside for a moment to face the slim laptop on my desk, I tapped on the keyboard and pulled up the standard private investigations release contract. After sending it to print, I told my new client, “I’ll need you to sign this before you pay the retainer fee.” I kept my voice even, steady. To help the client remain calm. This was make it/break it time. The printer whirred.
I slid the form across my clean glass desk. Mrs. Boscoe skimmed the legalese. Her tastefully bleached hair formed a solid yellow curtain that hid her fine-boned model’s face. Her manicure was French, her breasts perky saline. The tight taupe skirt a recent Dior, the perfume old-time Chanel. Of course, the shoes were Jimmy Choo, the bag Hermès. I was used to her type: rich bitches from the spoiled island of Palm Beach. Still, I was on her side. One hundred percent.
My newest client handed me the signed contract and a deposit of five thousand dollars. Her salon-tanned hand shook as she counted out the Benjamins. “What happens next?”
“Now you go home and slip into something more comfortable,” I advised. “Your job for the next month is to have as much sex with your husband as you can stand. Lounge around in your teddies. Mix him his favorite cocktails. Make him his favorite meals. Do whatever he asks, and do it with a smile. Try to get away on vacation. See if you can convince him to fly to Bora Bora with you. Or Paris. Buy new lingerie. Get a bikini wax, a Botox treatment.” She winced. “This is the last ditch stage. Sometimes it actually works.”
One time it worked. But I don’t tell my clients the odds. It’s too discouraging.
“Whatever happens, be sure to call your friends and tell them how wonderful everything is,” I continued. “Tell everyone you’ve fallen back in love. Kiss him on the lips when you’re out in public. Hold his hand in restaurants. Throw yourself at him in front of the staff. Make sure everyone thinks you two are back on track.”
She nodded before asking the same question they all ask. “What about that bitch he’s sleeping with?”
They always want to know what they should do about the other woman. I tell them all the same thing, but really, it’s useless. They can’t forget about her. If they could, they wouldn’t be here on the mainland, sitting in my minimalist office in down and dirty West Palm, slut sister city to married-up Palm Beach. If these women could just ignore their rich husbands’ dalliances, they wouldn’t be paying me the big bucks. And I wouldn’t be exterminating their cheating spouses.
“Forget about her,” I told Mrs. Boscoe. “You need to focus your energy on your husband. And if he goes for it, if everything works out, I’ll be happy for you. So happy I’ll refund your money.”
Like I said, that’s only happened once. One time in the seven years I’ve been open for business. Nine months after I refunded that particular retainer fee, the client returned. Now she’s the owner of a multimillion–dollar real estate company and her husband’s six feet under. Where he belongs.
I accompanied Mrs. Boscoe to my office door. She walked with the smooth grace of a ballroom dancer. I would kill for legs like hers. Soon enough, that would be exactly what I would do.
***
Thirty-seven days later, Mr. Boscoe was reported missing. His eighty-foot yacht had sunk off the coast of Bimini. A young woman—not his wife—had been with him at the time. In glittery bistros and gluttonous mansions, Palm Beach tittered over the scandal. Here in West Palm, we snickered over our cardboard cups of take-out coffee.
West Palm is the place for Palm Beach wives to outsource revenge. Because I back all my clients. One hundred percent.
http://www.akashicbooks.com/when-you-...
May 26, 2014
In Their Shoes: Would YOU be a Sugar Baby?
Recently, I was asked the following question: Would you have considered being a sugar baby as a college student? Why or why not?
An intriguing question.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I was a feminist. No bra, no desire to wed, no kowtowing to men. But I was also semi-Catholic and a bit of a prude. So the answer is no, I would not have considered funding my education with sex. But at the time, I didn't have the sexual confidence to take on the persona of a sex kitten who charges older men for party favors. My self-image would have influenced my decision back then. That, and my Catholic guilt.
When I got out of college, I owed $2500 in student loans. I instantly secured a job in my field, one that did not depend on my looks or feminine wiles. I paid off the loan within a year, while living on my own in Boston. I had lots of sex, but nobody paid me for it.
But that was then. What about now?
If I graduated last year, I would probably have at least ten times the debt I had as a 21 year old. The average student owes $33,000 when they leave university. And most new graduates cannot find a job in their field of study. Many are underpaid and underemployed. Meanwhile, the unpaid debt mounts until it becomes overwhelming.
Would I consider being a sugar baby under those circumstance? Yes, I might. Desperation can realign one's social and moral values. Plus, the era is very different. Sex is expected on dates, but the male is not expected to pay for anything. College students often split expenses for dinner or entertainment. If a girl is going to "give it away for free" on a date, she might be able to justify getting paid for those same acts, especially if she's swimming in debt. And drowning in bills. And barely able to stay afloat.
So I do understand why today's coeds are opting for the lucrative ease of professional girlfriend jobs. You work for yourself, you set your own schedule, the hours are minimal. It can seem like an exciting life, hanging out with rich older men who take you to expensive restaurants and clubs, maybe pay for you to travel with them. You get to dress up, go to places you could never afford on your own. Plus, the money is good. Very good.
Still, soft prostitution is not a healthy choice for a young woman. The smell of trading sex for money lingers. And the sugar world can be dangerous.
So I don't think I'd actually do it. I'd find other ways to fund my lifestyle. But that's just a guess. And maybe that's easy for me to say since I am not in their shoes.
What about you? Would you do it? Have you tried it? Dying to know!
Original blog post on Long and Short Reviews:http://www.longandshortreviews.com/gu...
An intriguing question.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I was a feminist. No bra, no desire to wed, no kowtowing to men. But I was also semi-Catholic and a bit of a prude. So the answer is no, I would not have considered funding my education with sex. But at the time, I didn't have the sexual confidence to take on the persona of a sex kitten who charges older men for party favors. My self-image would have influenced my decision back then. That, and my Catholic guilt.
When I got out of college, I owed $2500 in student loans. I instantly secured a job in my field, one that did not depend on my looks or feminine wiles. I paid off the loan within a year, while living on my own in Boston. I had lots of sex, but nobody paid me for it.
But that was then. What about now?
If I graduated last year, I would probably have at least ten times the debt I had as a 21 year old. The average student owes $33,000 when they leave university. And most new graduates cannot find a job in their field of study. Many are underpaid and underemployed. Meanwhile, the unpaid debt mounts until it becomes overwhelming.
Would I consider being a sugar baby under those circumstance? Yes, I might. Desperation can realign one's social and moral values. Plus, the era is very different. Sex is expected on dates, but the male is not expected to pay for anything. College students often split expenses for dinner or entertainment. If a girl is going to "give it away for free" on a date, she might be able to justify getting paid for those same acts, especially if she's swimming in debt. And drowning in bills. And barely able to stay afloat.
So I do understand why today's coeds are opting for the lucrative ease of professional girlfriend jobs. You work for yourself, you set your own schedule, the hours are minimal. It can seem like an exciting life, hanging out with rich older men who take you to expensive restaurants and clubs, maybe pay for you to travel with them. You get to dress up, go to places you could never afford on your own. Plus, the money is good. Very good.
Still, soft prostitution is not a healthy choice for a young woman. The smell of trading sex for money lingers. And the sugar world can be dangerous.
So I don't think I'd actually do it. I'd find other ways to fund my lifestyle. But that's just a guess. And maybe that's easy for me to say since I am not in their shoes.
What about you? Would you do it? Have you tried it? Dying to know!
Original blog post on Long and Short Reviews:http://www.longandshortreviews.com/gu...
May 19, 2014
What? Sex with a Sex Offender?
You may wonder why I chose to write a romance in which the alpha male love interest (a handsome, intelligent, thoughtful man) is a convicted sex offender. Not sexy, right? Well, it's not that simple. Sometimes people are branded as sex offenders who are, in fact, nothing like the stereotype you may have in mind.
The story that inspired me to do some research on the topic was told to me by a friend. His brother in law was accused of harboring child porn on his office computer. When he was arrested, his marriage, career, finances and reputation were quickly destroyed. He ended up committing suicide, yet claimed until the day he died that he had been set up. My friend believed him. An angry employee or client with access to the man's office could have downloaded the material. The material may have been downloaded from a remote location without his knowledge.
That story got me thinking. So I looked into the topic, and some of the cases are startling. For example, the 15 year old boy accused of raping a 14 year old girl. He pled guilty so he wouldn't have to go to an adult prison. After spending more than a year in a juvenile detention center, the boy was released when girl admitted she had invented the rape so her parents wouldn't be mad at her for having sex. Now the young man is unable to remove his name from the sex offender registry. His family has been forced to move several times due to neighborhood harassment. The kid can't go to school because he is not allowed near any school properties.
Other surprising cases abound. Rape "victims" who marry their "rapists" after the girls' parents are no longer able to have the men arrested for seeing their underage daughters. Revenge cases. Mistaken identity. In one chat room I read about the paranoia a man is experiencing because a convicted sex offender with a similar name, age, and build lives nearby. What if the neighborhood confuses the two men? What will the good folks do to him if they believe he is a sex offender?
Like you, I despise the evil creatures who prey on women and children. Sex criminals are sick and dangerous and need to be removed from society. But there are too many instances in which innocent people get sucked into the vortex of inflexible law and public opinion. Some people really do not deserve to be ostracized, punished, branded. This is the kind of situation I decided to write about in my new book Whiskey Sour Noir.
Originally appeared on Romance Reader: http://romancereader-riya.blogspot.com.
The story that inspired me to do some research on the topic was told to me by a friend. His brother in law was accused of harboring child porn on his office computer. When he was arrested, his marriage, career, finances and reputation were quickly destroyed. He ended up committing suicide, yet claimed until the day he died that he had been set up. My friend believed him. An angry employee or client with access to the man's office could have downloaded the material. The material may have been downloaded from a remote location without his knowledge.
That story got me thinking. So I looked into the topic, and some of the cases are startling. For example, the 15 year old boy accused of raping a 14 year old girl. He pled guilty so he wouldn't have to go to an adult prison. After spending more than a year in a juvenile detention center, the boy was released when girl admitted she had invented the rape so her parents wouldn't be mad at her for having sex. Now the young man is unable to remove his name from the sex offender registry. His family has been forced to move several times due to neighborhood harassment. The kid can't go to school because he is not allowed near any school properties.
Other surprising cases abound. Rape "victims" who marry their "rapists" after the girls' parents are no longer able to have the men arrested for seeing their underage daughters. Revenge cases. Mistaken identity. In one chat room I read about the paranoia a man is experiencing because a convicted sex offender with a similar name, age, and build lives nearby. What if the neighborhood confuses the two men? What will the good folks do to him if they believe he is a sex offender?
Like you, I despise the evil creatures who prey on women and children. Sex criminals are sick and dangerous and need to be removed from society. But there are too many instances in which innocent people get sucked into the vortex of inflexible law and public opinion. Some people really do not deserve to be ostracized, punished, branded. This is the kind of situation I decided to write about in my new book Whiskey Sour Noir.
Originally appeared on Romance Reader: http://romancereader-riya.blogspot.com.
May 7, 2014
Is it Okay if your Editor Hates You?
Over the years, my work has been published in various forms: mainstream nonfiction, textbooks, kids' educational books, literary fiction, steamy novellas, how-to magazine articles, news reports, and a novel. So I have worked with a variety of editors. And I agree with Theodore H. White that: "There are two kinds of editors, those who correct your copy and those who say it's wonderful."
I prefer the latter, of course. But the former type of editors, the kind who mark up my work and make me think, these are the people who have taught me how to write.
In my early publishing days, these were the people who convinced me (quickly) I had a lot to learn. By going through my work with a fine eye for grammar, punctuation, structure and detail, my editors showed me how to improve my writing. How to be tight. How to get the sentence structure right. And get to the point. How to hook the reader. Be clear. Say something new, say it in a new way. How to let my real voice shine through.
My editors made me work harder and, because of them, my work got better.
Over the years, some of my editors became my friends. Some couldn't wait to be done with me. A couple made my life miserable. One time I asked a publisher for a different editor because the person to whom I had been assigned wanted to rewrite my work in her own words. This doesn't work—even if the editor has a better way to say every single sentence. And this particular editor seemed to think she did!
So yes, there are good editors and great editors, fun editors and mean editors, and some really bad editors. But the thing about editors is, we writers need them. They make a huge difference in our lives. In fact, they are responsible for transforming our manuscripts into books.
One time I worked with an editor who did not like my characters. This is not a big surprise. I write about women in tough situations, kickass women who are not nice. And I write about silly women who need to get their asses kicked! But this particular editor really came down hard on my manuscript because she wanted to like my protagonists. This made me rethink their personalities. It helped me to soften their edges and, hopefully, please more readers.
Editing is a difficult and demanding process. But an important one. I work as a professional editor and I hear it every day from my clients: This is really hard work!
Yes, it is. And the results are better books. And better writers.
Original post published here: http://kellysteelwriter.blogspot.com/...
I prefer the latter, of course. But the former type of editors, the kind who mark up my work and make me think, these are the people who have taught me how to write.
In my early publishing days, these were the people who convinced me (quickly) I had a lot to learn. By going through my work with a fine eye for grammar, punctuation, structure and detail, my editors showed me how to improve my writing. How to be tight. How to get the sentence structure right. And get to the point. How to hook the reader. Be clear. Say something new, say it in a new way. How to let my real voice shine through.
My editors made me work harder and, because of them, my work got better.
Over the years, some of my editors became my friends. Some couldn't wait to be done with me. A couple made my life miserable. One time I asked a publisher for a different editor because the person to whom I had been assigned wanted to rewrite my work in her own words. This doesn't work—even if the editor has a better way to say every single sentence. And this particular editor seemed to think she did!
So yes, there are good editors and great editors, fun editors and mean editors, and some really bad editors. But the thing about editors is, we writers need them. They make a huge difference in our lives. In fact, they are responsible for transforming our manuscripts into books.
One time I worked with an editor who did not like my characters. This is not a big surprise. I write about women in tough situations, kickass women who are not nice. And I write about silly women who need to get their asses kicked! But this particular editor really came down hard on my manuscript because she wanted to like my protagonists. This made me rethink their personalities. It helped me to soften their edges and, hopefully, please more readers.
Editing is a difficult and demanding process. But an important one. I work as a professional editor and I hear it every day from my clients: This is really hard work!
Yes, it is. And the results are better books. And better writers.
Original post published here: http://kellysteelwriter.blogspot.com/...
