Dealing with Fake Literary Agents. It’s RAINING FAKES….

I know how to write. I’m a good writer. And the problem? It is hard to get an agent. It is hard to get a real agent, and then get a real publishing deal. I have known this for a long time. But I know it even better now.

MY STORY ONE.

I wrote a long novel some years ago…actually I wrote three…but one this is my favorite.

And through the years, I queried agents and they either did not respond at all….or they wrote back and made me feel like I had lost my morals: I will never, ever publish a book that deals with rape. Okay. Don’t live in the real world. Your decision.

Other agents passed me by, probably because I did not have the heavy publishing background they were looking for. Agents…many of them just don’t want to work hard. And yet, I get it. To survive in that business you have to have books that push your name to the front of the line. Well, how about working with new authors to get there….

MY STORY TWO.

So with the help of a wonderful friend, I published part of one novel using KDP/Amazon.AFTER PAPA LEFT. Did it do well? I really don’t know.

Then I published 10055 South Wood Street, the Story of a Family. It did very well. I know this, because I started getting emails from literary agents. (The woman can write! Let’s work with her.) BUT WAS I WRONG? Because I confess…that is what I thought. Never again. 

THE BAD NEWS.  

 So I chose an agent….I knew her name, had read some of the books she fostered…but it turned out that it was not her….she does not represent fiction, only nonfiction..it was someone pretending to know her and work with her. (even they did not know that she does not represent fiction!  HA HA)  DAMN. Sorry, but that is how I feel.  

 QUESTION: can we not enter the world of commerce anymore, and in doing so be able to trust people?

Two people used an agent’s name and her photo. They wrote as if the email was coming from her. And then eventually we learned the hard way….so there goes trust.

This guy had me emailing parts of my novel so he could edit them. This guy had me believing that he was preparing the novel that I had never sold to a publishing house. THEN we made them set up a zoom call…they revealed themselves to us. Unbelievable. FAKES!!  So please please be careful. 

And while all of this is happening, a young woman is writing me every day, asking for help…she wants to be a literary agent, she is starting her business…she needs tips and my help.

WHY ME?  WHY NOW? I still don’t know if she was legitimate. She disappeared. Maybe she was part of the scam….having this baby pulling on your apron every day. And were they paying her to be a distraction?! 

CONCLUSIONS: I am too nice. I need more mean genes and nasty ideas. THOUGH THAT IS NOT ME.

So what path do I follow now? I’m truly not sure. 

But one thing I am sure of….my forever novel is MINE, and I will fight to make sure no one tries to steal it from me. Be careful. The crazies are out there!

Your writing friend, Beth Havey 

PS…..10055 South Wood Street is available on Amazon.  It is a lovely read…and yes, I had the chops to believe it was leading me to a real Literary Agent.  Sadly, it was not.  

 

Lucy in Between, a Novel by Sarah Callender

Sarah Callender has a wonderful name for a writer, and she is an amazing one.

Sarah and I read posts and participate in discussions on Writer Unboxed, a writer’s blog that shares and comments on the process of this creative endeavor. And if I had read Sarah’s post early in the day and commented, I would often go back to see if she had replied, as her ideas were always on target and important to me.

And now…. we have LUCY IN BETWEEN. 

The New York Times states: “At once heart wrenching and uplifting, Lucy In Between  is an exploration of mental health and a meditation on grief that challenges the reader to expand their notions of home, of family of childhood itself. Samira Ahmed

And Donna Gephart, award winning author writes: “This dazzling debut shimmers with tenderness as a family breaks apart from tragedy, travels to a unique location to heal their hearts and find their way back home, to each other.”

And now a comment from Beth Havey, former teacher of English at the Secondary Level:

I TRULY LOVED THIS BOOK! THE CHARACTERS, THE PLOT, THE SETTING and also the FASCINATING AND UNEXPECTED CONCLUSIONS to the story problems. 

And we know that we are in good hands from the very first sentence: 

My best friend, Charles Chatterjee, thinks my fascination with my absent father is ridiculous. 

That sentence, so normal, something we hear a lot these days, that it quietly fades away….until it doesn’t. And there is the mother, also a musician, who seems to pay more attention to her practices and and to her instruments…than to her children. Until there is a tragedy, thus creating a story that focuses on the losing and the necessary regaining in this complicated family.  

IT CAN BE HELPFUL TO WATCH FOR CLUES: Doctors don’t know why, but Henry’s hair started silvering when he was seven, right about the time he was invited to guest solo with the San Francisco Symphony. Which was right around the time my dad left us.

And that makes perfect sense. Henry is Lucy’s brother, and in many ways her best friend. And this is a family of questions…everyone seems to live and breathe in their own silo, until there is loss…permanent loss that makes Lucy begin to look for omens, signs that there is something stable in her life. For years it has been her skill playing the violin. But not just an ordinary instrument, but a Lady of Tennant-Lafont Stradivarius, which her family owns. This being serious musical stuff, amid the daily life of a teenager, who doesn’t always fit in with the other girls in her class, which she refers to as THE ELLAS. Love that. 

But this novel is not just for teens…I LOVED IT. There is loss, painful loss…and as a result, necessary gain. A father CANNOT stay in South America forever. And yet for a while, Lucy finds herself almost totally alone in that part of world…where she finally finds love and purpose where most would not expect it. 

HEY SARAH…as a former teacher of English and a truly admiring friend…I give you an A PLUS!  

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!  

Autumn: A Time of Atonement and Bounty

Autumn is finally here. In some parts of the country and the world summer’s end was wet, with incessant rains that felled leaves early, smashing grass and crops with a blanket of soggy vegetation and shorn tree limbs. Such weather patterns contrasted with the drought and dryness other parts of America and the world continue to experience. What does nature know that we do not about the length of our days? Why do some regions have bounty and others experience loss? Is there something we need to atone for?

Probably. But though in my town I’m determined to enjoy autumn once again. I have pots of yellow and burnt ocher mums nestling by pumpkins on my front porch. My autumn welcome sign is hung and a wreath of yellow leaves blazes on my front door. This is my time. For me autumn is always a beginning.

When things fall back toward the earth, the outlines of garden and lawn, of walkway and road become more apparent. This precise definition creates a sense of order and organization. In fall there are memories of wild vines and riotous summer flower color. But now it’s best to be more satisfied with quieter denser things like clipped boxwood and evergreens, like bare tree trunks of grey and soft brown. The air is cool. The skies seem swept up too, presenting swathes of crystal color. Cold air outlines things so definitely, you can almost see each leaf and branch.

Order Brings Time for Contemplation 

Definition and order soothes the soul. I lean toward putting things away in their proper place. I lean toward knowing that everything sleeps quietly waiting for a reawakening. This is a time to store energy, to store knowledge. It can be a time to read and contemplate and make decisions.

If you seek solace and quiet, this is your time too. For as we move inside to do our living, placing things we love like a bright pumpkin or a scattering of leaves on table surfaces, or brightening a room with a flowered pillow or candlelight, it can also become a time to move inward in our thinking–to meditate and determine more and more exactly who we are.

Autumn decorations can remind us of endings, yet good endings that are resolute and leave us feeling blessed, not sorrowful. Autumn is the time of atonement for the Jewish people and how appropriate to tidy up one’s soul as the earth is preparing for sleep and hibernation, as winter winds are soon to come and humans are stocking up on food energy and light energy and the ability to survive.

Atonement 

But no matter what the season, we should atone for the hurts we have caused; we should try to mediate our expressions of anger. And certainly if we have hurt someone we need to ask for forgiveness; and if someone has hurt us, we should try to find a way to forgive that person, to lighten the loads we often carry. And we must forgive ourselves.

Settling In

It’s a little early, but there will come a time as the days get shorter that we will want to settle back into our brains and examine who we are, where we are going, and how we might improve. Life cannot be lived like the riot of spring where nature blows her wad and lets everything grow and rush about. We enjoyed that fertility. But now it’s time to be more judicious in our use of harvest fruits; we need to carefully use and share our bounty.

Certainly in the spring, when life comes back, we have no fears of the future. But in the autumn, we need to count the jars in the cellar, the apples in the basket, the sins on the soul. We need to tidy our lives and draw within to discover how we will survive, how we will make it through the dark times of our life. And how we can help others through their darker, harder times.

Final Thought 

In each of us is a light deep within. Sharing that light draws bounty, brings good things to us whether the world is hard-packed snow or dry desert. Autumn can provide a time for atonement. Winter and beyond can be full of the light of love as the grace of forgiving someone brings the warmth of reclaiming love. If you are feeling like all the days of your life are hard, cold winter, then it’s time to open up to those around you, to share the light within you. IT WILL BRING YOU HAPPINESS.  As a wise woman once said to me: “Feeling sad today? Then go out and help someone else.”  She was so right.

MEMORY: What It Is, How It Might Work

Memory is TIME that lasts, because of INTEREST.

Or it could be TIME that won’t depart, and thus reappears, even though we would rather forget it.

And the core process of memory?  

Lies, Big and Little

When I was growing up…the worst thing you could be called was LIAR.

On, I am sure there were other words out there, words with sexual aspects, but that was certainly NOT on my radar. And yes, there were words that our mother, Jinni, absolutely abhorred…snot being one of them.

In today’s world…no big deal. Yes, I was protected. And yes, I had to actually LOOK BAD WORDS UP in the dictionary to find out what they meant. And I did this frequently. WHY ?  Because I heard these words and wanted to know WHAT THEY MEANT. WHY THEY WERE BAD WORDS. 

All of this is to say, that while growing, using any of these words had weight in my family. You certainly did not swear using God or any word related to God. I remember when I learned the word SHIT. What a cool word to say, that S sound. And big deal…it’s part of life.

But of course my mother lectured us on the problem of using “disgusting” language.

“That is not now how I raised you. Those words do not represent who you are.”

Truth. But for me, my cussing increased when I was in college.

AND looking back, I know why. Using the F word or other slang terms made young women feel empowered. It’s not a good look. But one can understand it. And actually, I think we go through stages when swearing or talking street talk makes us feel strong, older, with it. But now even typing it FEELS SILLY. But we humans are silly, strange, always changing and trying to discover who we are. 

MY CONFESSION   

But back to my childhood. Though we did not acknowledge it, we knew how to use the little white lie.

In my latest book, 10055 South Wood Street, I write about my big lie: my friend and I telling my mother that his mother was out of matches and needed some. You might remember those big kitchen matches…so much fun to light those. My mother was working and quickly gave us her entire box of kitchen matches, which my friend and took to the railroad tracks and began lighting. And then, not too much later, when in Catholic School we were preparing for our FIRST CONFESSION…..yes, that was my sin. I lied to my mother. 

“Create A Lie When One Is Needed”

Years later, I basically have always followed the creed: a LIE will only come back to haunt you…even if YOU DID NOT TELL ONE.

Thus, as a writer for a popular blog, my post was due on a given Tuesday. I had sent it in, but at the last minute there was a problem with the photo that would accompany the blog.

I got on the net, sent a better photo; the post went live, but things sill were not right. I tired to communicate with the person in charge of this aspect of the blog, but he was unavailable or out of town. Oh well, life goes on. This is a small matter, UNTIL IT ISN’T. 

Time passed. I got an email that I could no longer send work to this blog for publication. I tend to have a big heart, immediately deciding there was some simple mistake. When I finally was able to have a phone call with the person who runs the blog, I was told:  You are OUT. YOU LIED. 

What? Please explain, what had I lied about?

THE PHOTO FOR THAT POST? 

If I chose the wrong photo, I am sorry….but I never lied about it, fixed it as best I could, the person in charge being out of town…which was a poor excuse, he could get on the internet anywhere! 

Thus Dear Reader, I tend to be naive about some things. And it was only later, that I realized they wanted me gone….and this was their chance. I was just too friendly with this person in charge of blog and someone did not like that…

So make up a lie…punish me. 

In this moment, our current president is shouting on the TV. Talk about a liar.

All my life I have prided myself on being honest about WHAT I DO and HOW I LIVE.

A woman writer communicating via email is no real threat. Friendship is no real threat, unless there is something wrong in the marriage. 

I truly believe each one of us should think first before we create a lie, little or big..because it could have far reaching consequences.

And though I did fight back during a phone call…no one would listen to me. They stuck to their story. They had created the lie and thus must carry it through. Their loss.

Now we have certain people in power in our country who LIE all the time. It eats away at dignity and people GET HURT.

Botton line….NO LIE IS LITTLE.   Every lie can light a burning match that spreads, hurts someone.

Thanks for reading. 

When Only One Thing Matters

We live in a world of change, of pressure and persuasion. From newspapers and television, we are not so quietly told WHAT TO BE, WHERE TO EAT, HOW TO LIVE. And if we are honest, we often are affected by this noise and clammer.

Oh, we think we have a handle on it, but then suddenly realize that the coat we had to have, the book everyone told us to read, the film so praised and lauded…just truly was not for us. And I am not afraid to say this: aging puts it all in perspective.

We see more and more the worth in small things. The letter or phone call from a friend. The compliment we were not expecting. The kindness of someone in the grocery store…those little things. Maybe it is because we realize the importance of slowing the pace, of looking into the eyes of the person talking to us, of honoring their humanity, who they truly are. The pace of life can be devastating…so that we wake up one day and forget to say thank you to those close to us; to remember a birthday or to call a friend who has lost their spouse. LIFE IS MOVING VERY QUICKLY and we need to stop and smell those roses, make that phone call, write that poem.

I am blessed to meet with two other writers about once a month. We read each others work and provide feedback. But we also understand when we haven’t fulfilled a certain goal…rewriting a scene, softening a character’s words in a given moment, or changing the dialogue that was confusing or in the wrong place. We understand because LIFE gets in the way. We have families, we have responsibilities. 

BEING THERE…BEING NEEDED

My message? In life and in your daily experience, things change. Minor and major changes. 

And as humans we are expected to be right there….accept, understand, and deal with the change. We are to adapt to the needs of others, keep it going, and always, if possible, SMILE. 

But that is not possible. Our wires can get crossed. Were we listening or was the message never delivered. And there is only ONE WAY to live with this, deal with this as our world gets more and complicated and things move faster and faster.

TAKE A DEEP BREETH.

SPEND TIME MAKING PLANS THAT WILL WORK FOR EVERYONE. 

COMMUNICATE. Thus the photo I chose today… me and my grandson. He may still be adding words to his vocabulary, but possibly better than anyone, he knows how to show me love and appreciation. He knows what he needs and how to say THANK YOU when I provide such a gift.

MAYBE we should all slow down for an hour or two, tell those near us how much we love them. Share hugs and feelings. LIFE IS SHORT. And when my grandson wakes from his nap, I won’t be there, but his mother, his father will be… the people who love and care for him. And yet, when he sees me again, he will smile and go to me. He will let me play with him, hug him. That is how love works. We show up. We give….and in return, we are blessed. THANKS FOR READING