Episode 188 – A Gritty & Realistic Adoption & Publishing Journey with Denise Massar

In this episode Mark interviews Denise Massar about her memoir “Unmatched,” about adoption, and about the work being done to find the right publisher for the manuscript.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor…

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation, Mark and Denise talk about:

Denise’s memoir about adoption called “Matched”The process of private domestic newborn adoption and how it is different than the systems used to beHow competitive the process isHow adoptive parents are tasked 100% with finding their own birth momThe diverse range of women in a position of being pregnant and not wanting to keep their babyHow the search for a birth mother can feel seedyAdoption being a hot-button topic, potentially as hot-button as the topic of abortionSeeing how an open adoption could be, with Denise’s son Henry, and comparing that to her own adoption, which was secret/hiddenHow easy it was for both Denise and Mark to find their birth mothers thanks to the opening up of information, and the internetThe impact of the “yes, I am your mother” message Denise was sentCalling the mother who raised her, her mother, and her birth mom her birth motherHow Denise has always been a writer, and that she got her MFA in writing, but that this memoir was her first tangle productThe process of finding a publisher for her memoir which was an unexpected journey after finishing the bookHiring Jane Friedman to critique her query letterWhat a book proposal is, what “comp titles” areThe popular “adoption wheel” of shame/depression/etcThe agent query process for DeniseHow the book went out on submission the day that most of the United States went into pandemic lock-down in 2020The importance of an author being seen as current and relevant by a potential publisherThe title “Matched” and consideration of creating a more intuitive/SEO based title for the bookAnd more…

After the interview Mark reflects on the concept of how an editor goes to bat for a book at the editorial round table and other concepts discussed in the interview.

Links of Interest:

Denise Massar’s WebsiteTwitterInstagramFacebookMediumAre Editors Responding to Submissions During Coronavirus? (Article)5 Things I Wanted My Son To Have From His Birth Mother (Article)Episode 108 – Silver Linings with Talena WintersEpisode 163 – Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey MikkelsonThe Creative Penn Episode 546 – Global, Wide Self-Publishing with Mark Leslie LefebvreTop 35 Canadian Book Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021Lawrence HillFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

Denise Massar, an adoptee and adoptive mom, lives in Orange County, California with her husband and three kids. A Washington State native, she earned her MA in English Literature from Central Washington University. Denise enjoys: Thrift store wandering, reading in bed with Aussie licorice (red), sweaty spin classes, salt air, and the belly laughs of her kids.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0