Lucy regarded me with interest so intense it bordered on lust. “And?” she said, expectantly. “You worked it out?”
“Your dedication in this book is what did it,” I said, holding up Flaming Heart. “‘For the Eden in every woman,’” I read, and gave Lucy a long, searching stare. “Alice is both of us, Lucy. You needed me in order to write her and I needed you in order to become her. No, to become the better part of her.”
“The better part of her?” Lucy asked.
“Well, I’m not a writer,” I said. “If you think about it, that’s what really screws Alice up, isn’t it? That’s her fatal flaw.”
“You’re more like Alice than you know,” Lucy said. “You’ve been shaping her in your own image.”
“I’m not you, Lucy,” I fired back.
Lucy’s eyes were glittering. She placed her hands, palms down, on her desk and pushed herself up to a standing position. “And I’m no angel, is that it? Let me tell you something, my dear, you can’t get to where I am by being a sweet little angel. Success isn’t about being liked, it’s about being tough. If you haven’t learned that by now, you never will.” Lucy leaned over me, her face darkening. “This has all been very illuminating,” she said, “but it’s time to get to work. Unless you’ve got something else you want to say?”
I stood up and walked around to meet her on the other side of her desk. “I’m not going back to work for you, Lucy.”
“Really?” Lucy didn’t sound at all surprised. This was something she’d prepared for. “You’re so morally outraged that you’re going to quit? Planning to take off into the sunset with your Italian man—yes, I know all about it—and live happily ever after on his royalties?”
“Not quite,” I said.
“I’m very disappointed, Angel, but then I’m often disappointed in people.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “So be it,” she said. “You’ll owe me some money, of course, as per the terms of your contract. You can see Craig about that. And I expect to be paid immediately. In addition, you may not use any of the contacts you’ve made in this office in the future. If you think you’re going to continue your relationships with any authors or editors you’ve met through me, you are mistaken. I will sue you, Angel. I will ruin you. In fact, if I were you, I would consider an entirely new career because it will be impossible for you to work in publishing again.” Lucy paused to let her words take effect. “But,” she said, “I am a magnanimous person. I’ll allow you to reconsider, Angel. Do you want to change your mind?” Lucy gave me a big smile. She was expecting that I’d fold in fear and awe. No, she was counting on it. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two figures in her doorway. Jackson and Anna had come in and were hovering, listening to every word.
“No,” I said, “but I’ll allow you to reconsider.”
“What?”
“Blind Submission,” I said. “I’ve finished it. It needs a lot more work, Lucy, but I can get it to where it needs to be. It could sell now, but you and I both know that it wouldn’t be the kind of success you want it to be. It can be a great book, Lucy, but not without me, and you know it.” I picked up Flaming Heart and held it in front of her. “Of course, you could always write a sequel to this. But I don’t think that’s what you want. I don’t want your authors, Lucy, or any part of your”—I gestured to the expanse of white in her office—“empire. I only want what’s mine. You’re going to release me from that contract and you’re not going to stand in my way.” I heard a quick gasp coming from the doorway.
“Is that so?” The color had drained from Lucy’s face, but her voice was still strong and vibrating with anger. “And what makes you think I’ll do that?”
“Because you need me, Lucy. And, as a gesture of goodwill, I’ll even help Karanuk finish Thaw.”
“You can’t touch Karanuk!”
“I don’t want to touch him, Lucy. I said I’d help him—help you.”
“Clearly, I’m going to have to think about this,” Lucy said.
“I really need to know now,” I answered.
Lucy clenched her fists and set her jaw. She strode over to her desk and fell heavily into her chair, slamming into her desk and rattling her collection of pens and notepads. “Well, then, you’d better get over here now, Angel, so we can work out the terms of this—whatever this agreement is.”
A faint but unmistakable sound of soft clapping came from the doorway. Lucy and I turned our heads to look at the same time, but they’d vanished into the recesses of the outer office. Lucy turned to me and glared.
“When did you become this person, Angel?” she asked. “How did you get the nerve?”
I walked over to her desk and sat down opposite her. “Like I told you before, Lucy, I had an excellent teacher.”
EPILOGUE
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
JUNE 13–JUNE 19
* * *
Real Deals
Hot deal for Cold! author:
The biggest news in publishing this week, and no doubt for many more to come, is the sizzling sale of a new book by reclusive, elusive Karanuk, author of the award-winning, mega-selling phenomenon Cold! Quelling the seemingly endless speculation as to what Karanuk might do for an encore, Gordon Hart announced early this week that HartHouse will publish Thaw next spring as (no surprise) a lead title. Hart won what he described as “a stunning follow-up” from Karanuk’s longtime literary agent, Lucy Fiamma, after a heated auction involving at least ten publishers. “We are absolutely thrilled,” Fiamma said from her Marin County office. “Second acts are always challenging, but Karanuk had an especially difficult task after the enormous success of Cold! He took his time and he has created a unique, inspiring book that was well worth waiting for.” Fiamma has good reason to be thrilled; the sale is reported to have topped out at seven figures. “We are extremely excited to be working with Gordon Hart,” Fiamma added, “and we are confident that HartHouse will do a beautiful job with this very important book.” No word yet on whether or not the mysterious Karanuk will make any appearances to promote this book when published, but Fiamma won’t rule out the possibility. “We are discussing options at the moment,” Fiamma said. “Expect the unexpected.”
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
JULY 11–JULY 17
* * *
Real Deals
An “angel” gets her wings with first book by star-watcher:
Astrologer and first-time author Solange Martin got news this week that even she couldn’t have predicted. That news was that her memoir, Balsamic Moon, had been sold to Natalie Weinstein of Weinstein Books at Gabriel Press. Weinstein bought world rights for the book with a six-figure preemptive offer. Weinstein described the memoir as a “real-life Da Vinci Code with an astrological twist” and hails the author as “a major new voice in nonfiction.” What is perhaps bigger news than this, though, is who Weinstein made the deal with: brand-new literary agent Angel Robinson, formerly of the Lucy Fiamma Literary Agency. “She has a great eye and a wonderful book sense,” Weinstein said of Robinson. “I’m really looking forward to working with her.” Could Robinson be a major new voice in the world of agents? It seems that she’s well on her way. Although Robinson isn’t naming names, her assistant, Jackson Stark, claims that the agency is inundated with submissions and recently signed at least one “very big” author.
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
JULY 18–JULY 24
* * *
Bookselling News This Week
Blue Moon rises again:
When Elise Miller closed the doors of her well-known but often-struggling bookstore, Blue Moon, last year, she planned to “relax, garden, and forget about the high-stress world of bookselling.” Fortunately for her devoted customers and the authors she helped support, Miller just couldn’t stay away. This week she announced the grand opening of Blue Moon 2, a smaller but no less diverse store nestled in the heart of Marin County, California. “Our goal is to carry titles th
at are varied enough to attract readers looking for a change from the same old thing,” Miller said. “I’ve found that most people are hungry for recommendations beyond the bestseller lists. There’s no substitute for human exchange. We want to provide a place where people feel comfortable asking questions.” The original Blue Moon was a popular stop for both touring and local authors, and Miller plans to continue that with the new store. “We’ve got an amazing lineup of authors already,” said Anna Anderson, the store’s events coordinator. “This is going to be a really exciting year.” Anderson claims to have booked several well-known authors as well as some hot newcomers, including Damiano Vero, whose forthcoming book, Parco Lambro, is already garnering rave reviews. Anderson also hinted about “a very major literary event” to come but remained mum about what that might be.
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
AUGUST 15–AUGUST 21
* * *
Real Deals
Fiamma’s Angel agents the agent:
It’s a story that could only happen in publishing, folks. Hot on the heels of her first big sale, Angel Robinson of the Robinson Literary Agency scored again this week with the phenomenal sale of Blind Submission, a novel by none other than her ex-boss Lucy Fiamma. In a further literary twist, the novel is about, yes, a literary agent and her assistant-turned-writer. Who said the book world was self-absorbed? Robinson generated enough enthusiasm to cut short several summer vacations for what she called “a very lively auction.” Triad was the winner of this one, with publisher Julianne Davis personally making the deal with Robinson for an undisclosed sum. “It’s a fabulous book,” Robinson said, “written by a talented and deserving author who obviously knows the territory well.” Triad plans to publish in the spring.
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
NOVEMBER 14–NOVEMBER 20
* * *
Real Deals
Robinson gives thanks:
The unstoppable Angel Robinson announced the sale of an important project this week, just in time to make Thanksgiving a very happy one. Robinson’s special deal was for an author who is, literally, very close to home for the agent. The book, sold on a proposal, is titled Fringe: A Study of Witches, Goddesses, and Other Women on the Edge of Normal, and the author is Hillary Robinson, the mother of her own agent. Gordon Hart made the deal for HartHouse, outbidding two other publishers. Kate Small will edit. La mère Robinson was unavailable for comment, but her daughter told us this: “Hillary has an encyclopedic knowledge of these groups as well as direct experience. This is going to be a stunning book on an extremely important topic but will be accessible to all readers.”
Spoken like a good daughter.
* * *
BOOK NEWS WEEKLY
MARCH 13–MARCH 19
* * *
Bookselling News This Week
Surprise appearance makes Blue Moon 2 the hottest ticket in town:
Patrons of Blue Moon 2 bookstore were rewarded for their loyalty last Monday when none other than renowned Cold! author Karanuk gave an impromptu lunchtime reading of his new, already mega-selling book, Thaw, to a lucky crowd of readers. Because Karanuk has been so reclusive in the past, he was able to browse unrecognized in the stacks until store owner Elise Miller made the announcement that he was there. Wearing a baseball cap, blue jeans, and a Lakers sweatshirt, Karanuk took a seat on the small stage at the far end of the store and read for thirty minutes to a rapt audience. Word spread quickly that Karanuk, who has never before given a public reading, was in Blue Moon 2, and by one o’clock the store was full to capacity.
“We knew he was coming,” events coordinator Anna Anderson said, “but of course we respected his request that we not broadcast this information to the media. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event and we wanted to do it the way he wanted.” Anderson reported that she’d ordered “hundreds” of both of Karanuk’s books, but that the store sold out almost immediately.
Karanuk’s publisher, HartHouse, denies that he will be touring for Thaw. So what was behind Karanuk’s surprise appearance? And why Blue Moon 2? San Francisco power-agent Angel Robinson may have something to do with it. After his reading, Karanuk thanked Robinson for “beginning the thaw that led to my vernal equinox.” Robinson, a longtime friend and colleague of Miller’s, was in attendance with her husband, author Damiano Vero.
“She can read the heart of a writer,” Karanuk said of Robinson, “and understand what she finds there. And that is something only an angel can do.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FOR THEIR LOVE, encouragement, support and patience, I would like to offer huge thanks to: my family, especially my sister Maya, who gets an additional lifetime thank-you for being the only person to have read everything I’ve ever written; G, Gabe, and Gabriel; Shaye Areheart (and everyone at Shaye Areheart Books), for giving this book such a welcoming home; my literary agent, Linda Loewenthal, for taking such good care of me; my inestimable editor, Sally Kim, for making so many wonderful things possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DEBRA GINSBERG is the author of the memoirs Waiting, Raising Blaze, and About My Sisters. This is her first novel. She lives in Southern California. Visit her at www.debraginsberg.com.
Nonfiction by Debra Ginsberg
About My Sisters
Raising Blaze:
Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World
Waiting:
The True Confessions of a Waitress
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2006 by Debra Ginsberg
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Shaye Areheart Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
Shaye Areheart Books and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blind submission : a novel / Debra Ginsberg.—1st ed.
1. Literary agents—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3607.I4585B56 2006
813'.6—dc22 2006013198
eISBN: 978-0-307-35149-4
v3.0
Blind Submission Page 35