Ginger--thanks for posting that. I just might apply.

---

I was thinking of you in particular, Susan. It struck me that it might both pay a little money and give you some insights you could use in writing and marketing.

---

I can't get the Web link to resolve.

---

It's working for me, but I'm registered. Here's the info:

Harlequin Books is seeking freelance readers to help us review and evaluate proposed manuscripts. These readers, working on a project by project basis, will read, review, evaluate and prepare recommendation reports.

The ideal candidate will have an intimate knowledge of the romance fiction genre, and Harlequin books in particular, and will have the ability to present their evaluations clearly and concisely.

Excellent reading and writing skills, and the ability to meet deadlines is required. A love for women’s fiction and the romance genre in particular is a Big Plus.

Freelance readers make their own hours and work from anywhere.

About Our Company Harlequin is an international pubishing company specializing in women's fiction. ''We create entertaiing and enriching experiences for women to enjoy, to share, and to return to.''

Contact

Ms. Theresa Linton

Address Harlequin Magazines Inc.

233 Broadway

New York, NY 10279 USA

Fax 212-227-8969

Interested candidates, please fax a letter describing your interest and qualifications along with your resume and a writing sample to demonstrate your ability to write analytically about a romance novel you have read to:

T. Linton

212-227-8969

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

(Edited because formatting is apparently beyond me today.)

---

Have you ever read Margery Allingham?

another fun mystery writer, Edmund Crispin

I've never heard of any of them - then again, there are plenty of writers Buffists love and I've never heard of - we're pretty much depending here on what's being translated (even for importing the original-language versions of non-translated books).

And, um, Tim Bayliss likes carrots, at least part-time.

Snerk. I wish I got to watch more of this show.

[Edited because there should not be a comma in the middle of a word]

---

Ha, Nilly...I'd been waiting for somebody to say I was awful for posting that! Long way to travel for a dick joke...I'm not surprised you can't, seeing the criminal disrespect the show gets...not even being in syndication in the USA anymore...that is wrong like a Riley/Parker sandwich...fricking "Judging Amy" is syndicated now. And this thread is not "Erika Bitches About TV." Add writing fanfic, and I could have a title for my lj. I smell a conspiracy...

---

Deb, I don't recall feeling dissatisfied with the ending of "Still Life." There was a good sense of mystery as to what happened, but it was the sort of mystery that left me intrigued rather than befuddled. It felt resolved emotionally, and that's the important bit, especially since I adored all of your protagonists.

---

Any interested Beta readers out there?

I’m sitting here spitting nails because I found out yesterday that I may actually not be writing the third and fourth books in the young adult series I created. Long story; the shortest version is I agreed to work with a packager who sold the series idea I’d developed. The publisher wanted some things (major things) about the setup to change, and we agreed on them. I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to write four books, and I was pretty much on board with the direction the series took. But we sold, essentially, an idea. What we’d given them was a short outline for one book, a page about the rest of the series, and sample chapters of the first book that ended up in the garbage because of the requested tweaks. But because of the packager part of the deal, I actually have to be “hired” to write each book, and now I may not be given the chance to finish the series.

If anyone would be interested in reading the first few chapters of this book, I’d love an honest opinion. A brutal, in-your-face “here’s what didn’t work for me” take on the tone, the voice, the characters, and whether or not you’re itching to read more or have already fallen, comatose, across your desk in boredom. The gist of the story is it’s a post-virus world, a la The Stand (although not quite as devastating), set in the not-too-distant future. The Midwest has been evacuated, and the seven teens we focus on have ended up there anyway, joining a secret community called Novo Mundum, which may not be as perfect as they believed it to be. It’s aimed at readers ten and up, and it is a blatantly commercial project—after the first manuscript, I was told to remove all the metaphors because “it slows down the pace” and that readers “wouldn’t like them” (which I took to mean the publisher thinks kids are too stupid to understand them).

I can't even explain how enraged and frustrated and disappointed I am. I changed what I'd envisioned just for the chance to write a series that might actually have a shot at success, and the whole process has been a f*&%ing ballsup from the beginning. I know I'm really new here, but if anyone wants to volunteer, I could really use an objective opinion. Right now I'm having a hard time separating hatred of failure and frustration with these people from what I know (or maybe don't) about my own skills.

---

AmyLiz, what's the timeframe? Delighted to beta, but today is premier of Tim's new series, we leave for LA Sunday morning and are gone until Wednesday, and I have a signing/reading next weekend. If it's a huge rush, I doubt I can do it. If it be done over the span of a week or ten days, send it along: sf_deb@yahoo.com works best, and a word doc is also best (me no speak Mac).

---

Deb, it's not a rush at all. I'm just craving an outside take on the tone/feel of these chapters, but it's not time sensitive.

Yay for the reading/signing! Will send vibes for a packed house.

I'll send a Word doc in a little bit -- I have to separate the first couple chapters from the rest of the book. And thanks so much for volunteering -- the opinion of a few intelligent people is really going to make a difference to me right now.

---