β Scribed by Fitzwater, Judy
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
INTRODUCING JENNIFER MARSH
What does it take to get a book contract? That's the lament of every unpublished author--including aspiring murder-mystery novelist Jennifer Marsh.
After submitting eight diligently crafted manuscripts to every prominent publisher in New York, Jennifer has collected enough rejection letters to wallpaper a room. But that doesn't stop her from concocting one killer of a scheme for her next novel.
And suddenly Jennifer's lifelong love affair with crime fiction brings her face to face with real-life murder. . . .
Cooking spray and a few forks in the microwave are the only explosive things in Fitzwater's cute but unsuspenseful mystery debut. An unscrupulous literary agent holds on to Jennifer Marsh's manuscript for over a year before coldly rejecting it. So the caterer and wannabe mystery writer decides to get even by doing the old girl in. While plotting the perfect murder is easy enough?especially with the unwitting help of her critique partners?actually committing the crime isn't. Jennifer comes to her senses before carrying out her plan, only to learn that someone else has done the job for her. Jen's a warm, intelligent character and Fitzwater provides an entertaining (and for aspiring writers, frustratingly familiar) look at the world of writing and publishing. But the catering and?the meat of any mystery?the sleuthing can be talky, convoluted and hence rather sluggish.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
As an editorial assistant at Ballantine, one of my tasks is managing the "slush pile"; in other words, taking a first look at the dozens of submissions we receive every week from aspiring writers. Most of the submissions are not right for us, but once in a great while we come across a diamond in the rough. Judy Fitzwater's DYING TO GET PUBLISHED was one of those rare finds. I remember being pulled into the story on page one--and I didn't stop reading until I came to the end. I was captivated by the humorous and suspenseful story of Jennifer Marsh, a fictional aspiring mystery writer, and her ultimately deadly attempt to get published. The story simply leapt off the page, and I enthusiastically recommended it to my boss, who heads up Ballantine's mystery publishing program. I was very happy when he enjoyed it as well, and shortly afterward we acquired DYING TO GET PUBLISHED and two sequels from Judy Fitzwater. I hope that others will love the book as much as I did.
--Malinda Lo, Editorial Assistant
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