A question re: copyright.
A few years back, I did a series for my company newsletter that was a Sam Spade type spoof featuring a librarian. I found it recently, and it doesn't suck. The company newsletter was put together by one of the supervisors, then Xeroxed off and handed around. I have no idea if it ever left the building. Question: Does that count as first publication? I'm thinking it might be fun to try and get the thing printed in one of the library journals.
Secondly: The hero's name is the same as a previous incarnation of the company (Marc Link, Marc from MARC Formatting rules for libraries). It's a great Sam Spadeish name, and I'd check with the boss to see if he minded seeing an old company name appearing in a story in a national magazine. Does it seem like a bad idea to keep that name or should I find something else? Marc Twain is too obvious.
Connie, copyright law as I remember it is pretty muddy, but if the boss is still around to be checked with, you can solve any potential problems before they ever show up, by writing up a release and getting him to sign it.
Hey, Susan--your characters spammed me! Actual subject line: Lucy and Anna crave to meet you reckon
I laughed, and felt the need to share.
I laughed, and felt the need to share.
I laughed with you, darlin'. Especially since I got the Best Spam-sender Name Ever.
I really challenge anyone to top Viagra spam from Rogerme C. Malfoy.
Meep.
I've been so deep into the new series I hadn't googled on Matty Groves in nearly a month.
So, Harriet Klausner's review is out (she gives it a full ten of ten and recs it: also a long story recap, ending quite nicely with "The investigation to learn the facts about what happened to Lady Susanna is a journey through historical forensic records and it is fascinating to see the pieces come together. Deborah Grabien has written a great mystery wrapped around a terrifying ghost story.")
And, Kirkus is reviewing it in the 15th August issue.
Meep.
I wonder when the Publishers Weekly review is due?
Meep.
Huh. My scene for my online critique group this week was an action one, and I tend to assume that all of my action scenes suck. I'm just a dialogue writer struggling through the other stuff because for some reason the plot bunnies visiting me these days all involve men in uniform, waiting for the next excuse to let my people talk for 10-20 pages.
So one of my CPs just emailed to say that the scene was "AMAZING" (capslock hers), at that this kind of action scene was really my forte.
Huh. I really was sure it sucked. Maybe my plot bunnies are visiting the right person after all.
Oh, and the same CP said one of my secondary characters reminded her of Vanessa from SFU--I've never watched the show, so what's this Vanessa person like? The character in question is practical with a side of ruthless.
I'm making my way through SFU right now and I've just started the third season, so I'm sure someone else can be more helpful. She really wants nice things and is kind of a nag. In some ways she's a bit of a Lady MacBeth type- she will encourage her husband to screw over his bosses if it will help her financially. That said, she does it because she wants her family to be happy and secure, I assume.
So, anyway, I went to the local MWA meeting this morning. Guest speaker was Lyssa Keusch, senior editor at Avon Morrow. One of the deals was, she was going to allow 5-minute mini-pitches from six people, names to be drawn at random. You had to buy a raffle ticket.
She gave a neat talk, and did an extensive Q&A period. I got her attention early with two questions, both of which she reacted to with, "whoa, that's a really good question..."
There were about 70 people at this thing. And about 50 of them had stuff to pitch. And they'd all bought raffle tickets, and they picked six of them out of a basket.
First one out was mine. Meep.
I sat down and gave her the pitch, told her my feelings about it - I start my mystery stuff lighter on the mystery and heavier on the establishment of my characters, because without the truth and reality and voice of the characters, why bother with the journey? She said she wished more people wrote that way.
She doesn't want a partial. She wants the entire manuscript of R&RNF, and the synopsis for WMGGW.
Meep.
