It's early am where I am and I can't sleep. Sure, I'm worried about the whole Black Lace/Nexus thing. Since Felix writes for Nexus and I write for Black Lace, it's like we both got fired on the same day. Or at least, laid off. Although we're still waiting for our pink slips.
I'm wondering if Adam Nevill has a plan? It must be awful for him because he's the one who knows us, by name and by temperment. He hates to write a rejection letter, so this must be a living hell for him. I'm so sorry to think he is suffering.
Adam's been the best editor for me, just the best. He nurtured me. I wrote a piece on this blog not long ago about his non-reaction to my first two books. Honestly, I don't think he even liked them very much, but he must have had faith in me, because he said yes to my proposal for Sarah's Education.
From the very beginning I knew Sarah was the one, the book of mine that was going to be wonderful. And I think it is, and his glowing email after he read it let me know on no uncertain terms that he thought so too. It hasn't been out long, (five days, and only in the UK) but it's on BOTH the erotica and romance books best seller lists. Thank you Adam.
But I am not the best writer in the Black Lace stable. Oh no. For obvious reasons I'm not about to start naming names. Well, maybe they aren't that obvious. First, I'll leave someone off the list and have to come back again, and again, and it's already getting close to dawn around here. Why start something I'm just going to make a mess of? And, you know. sure, Canadians are humble and polite and all that but I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot. So I'll simply say this:
Black Lace publishes a helluva lot of the the best women writers of erotica working in the business today. And, like, tomorrow. After that we don't know for sure...
Where do these writers go for 2010?
Who do these writers submit their ideas to, for 2011?
Does Random House imagine we'll get jobs to tide us over? It's kind of hard to get a job right now, actually, because of that recession we've been hearing so much about. I mean, it's hard for employable people and not all writers of erotica are all that employable, for crying out loud.
And, while a lot of us write female characters who are submissive and get off on physical and/or verbal humiliation - it's a sexual thing. Like, the characters submit to their studly playmates, for the sexual thrill of it all.
We can't be depended on to grovel to the corporate suits at Random House. Oh no.
It is the suits who will need a safe word, not the writers, should it come down to a little scening in the Board Room.
So, there will be a lot of writers looking for work in the coming months. Frankly, I think most of us will find it. Unless we are offered retainers, which I think might be a very good idea for Random House to consider, I don't know how many of us will be *available* if and when the company is ready to take us back.
We shall see, come 2011, who licks whose boots.
