We haven’t been going out to eat much lately. It’s cold (definitely the coldest winter we’ve had since moving to Florida). It’s rained more this winter than the previous two years. The boys have had a string of colds, like the rest of the kids in the country. Honestly, by the time the sun sets, I just can’t bring myself to leave when it’s so cozy inside.
But, we did venture out on Sunday. We met Zach and his girlfriend for dinner at a steakhouse we really like…
When you were a teenager, did you ever have friends who tried to trick their parents? Perhaps your girlfriend told her mother things like:
“Don’t you remember, Mom? You said we could stay out an hour late tonight!”
“But, Mom, you told me just last week that I could use your credit card at the mall!”
“Mother, you promised to pay me $10 for babysitting, not $8!”
Of course, these mothers probably thought they were developing early dementia. I didn’t fall for those shenanigans from our kids. (At least, I don’t think I did!)
Unfortunately, some people still use similar tactics in the business world…
Hi Angela,
I don’t have a question, but I just wanted to send you a comment…
When my book, The Secret S*x Life of a Single Mom, was just a manuscript, a few people (including two literary agents) told me they thought it would make an awesome movie. I took it with a grain of salt, assuming every author thinks the same of his/her work. Nonetheless, when my publisher, Seal Press, bought it, I held onto 100% of the movie rights “just in case”…
I’ve been out of the writing game for quite some time. Achieved a B.A. in writing from Ithaca College, and wrote a weekly sports page in a small town for a start-up newspaper for approximately nine months. I am a professional firefighter with a lot of time on my hands, and would like to spend some of my free time blogging or writing on the Internet. How do I get started with little to no recent samples?
Contemplating my success as a writer, I could talk about how I published my first book, Ballet Music For the Dance Accompanist, which has been carried in bookstores all across the country, and has sold overseas. Or, I could talk about Solfege Town, an exciting method for teaching children of all ages about the musical scale, which is in print, and has also done extremely well as an e-book, continuing to net me a check every couple of months.
Maybe that’s what prospective authors are waiting to hear but that’s not success to me anymore…
Ali was cleaning the bar area recently, and noticed droppings of some sort in a neat little pile in the corner. I assumed we had a rodent, and immediately chastised the cats for being lazy. I then picked up the phone, and called our organic exterminator. He said, “We don’t do mammals.” (Yes, those were his exact words.) He then referred me to another company.
The next day, Joe, the mammal “and everything else” exterminator, showed up, and examined the droppings. He turned to me, and said, “That’s no mouse, ma’am. Looks like you have a lizard, and quite a big one at that!”
Wow! That nice P.O.D. publishing house representative wants to hear “more about your book!” Is it finished yet? Did you need to have it edited? Are you going to included pictures? What’s your target market?
Do you think that “nice” P.O.D. publishing house rep really gives a hoot about your book? Don’t fool yourself…
I NEVER tire of your World’s Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters columns…
