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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

So Much for Psychics!

Turns out the psychic was wrong. The literary agent who wanted my second suspense novel was a quack, at least according to Absolute Write and Predators & Editors: two indispensible guides for authors seeking literary representation.

It's so difficult to know who to trust. Fiction is a striped cat. Authors get tired of sending out queries when the tantalizing aroma of self-publishing lies just around the corner. But just like pre-marital sex in the '50s, one must not give in until all other exploration has gone south.

All is not lost, however. Four scriptwriters of varying expertise currently compete to adapt my award-winning first suspense novel Deadly Choices, now five years old. And I shall continue to participate on mystery author panels at conferences throughout the country -- and tell myself: Get it together. Your time will come....

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Psychic's Good News

I just started working with a real estate client who says he runs everything through his "prophet" before he decides which property to buy. Turns out his prophet is Grandma Rose. In my vocabulary, "prophet" equals "psychic." I decided to give her a call -- not regarding my success in the real estate business but as an author!

Grandma Rose, who now resides in Mississippi, originally hails from Chicago. Thus her comments or revelations, depending on your level of spirituality at the time, are drop-dead blunt tinged with smatterings of southern .

For my second suspense novel Window of Guilt, Rose sees a Jewish or Italian bearded man with a broad smile and a sharp scissors cutting the red ribbon that encases my manuscript! She says it's an agent I've recently sent to, although she knows not his name.

My third novel Fatal Reaction only needs a bit more editing, according to Rose. True enough, it needs to be elongated another thirty pages. Then it's ready to go! Rose says agents will attempt to talk me out of the school setting but I should stay true to my beliefs, i.e. keep it! That novel will also find a home with a publisher.

Lastly, my fourth novel Psychobabble. Rose says this manuscript should be the easiest to sell because it's got lots of fascinating characters.

If this psychic is clued in on any of the above, I can look forward to an exciting future! I'm sending Rose a carton of books -- not my own -- as a Thank You. If you're interested in talking to Rose, shoot me an e-mail and I'll act as the conduit!