You Can’t Be Sirius
When Sirius, the Dog Star, rose in the heavens the Romans knew it was campaign time. Their legions would depart winter quarters, receive their marching orders and as their great general Marius once said, “go tune somebody up.” The onset of summer has the opposite effect in the publishing biz: when the dog star rises, activity slows. They don’t even trade Alfonso Soriano. Only Philadelphia stirred in the hazy heat but Philly isn’t where the publishing houses are. Of course the trading deadline has passed and publishers know that from now on authors have to clear waivers before being dealt.
Behind the scenes, though, things are happening. Writers conferences and conventions are in full swing. Rookie camps are full and scouts are looking for the next Big Thing. Your reporter is no exception, straddling both sides of the Mendoza Line, the mythical goal of all writers. Polishing my manuscript for submission, scouting post offices for relative insanity levels, proofreading, and rewriting.
I’ve been asked to review two books for January Magazine, Jason Starr’s LIGHTS OUT and George Pelecanos’ THE NIGHT GARDENER. I’m excited by the opportunity to review for January and hope to rise to the occasion; both are good books. I just finished LIGHTS OUT the first time I’ve read Jason Starr. I think the release date is in September. The working title for THE NIGHT GARDENER was MISSION MEN, before the manuscript went into galleys. Titles are funny things.