The next week we got out second assignment. Write your query letter. It had directions, examples and all the tools you could ask for. I think I flunked. I sent in two query letters and neither one was really deemed as "great", but rather, keep trying, you'll get it."
I'm having so much trouble trying to tell you what Merili is about.
Merili, for me, is about a woman and those in her life, who get caught up in alcoholism, sex addiction and rage and each of them reaches a pivotal moment in their lives when they realize that they can't go on. The story unravels how each of them struggles with their addiction, their anger, their hurt and their losses and what that process looks like. We each might have ideas about why people get caught up in these impossible situations and wonder how did they ever get there? Wine is about those processes and how there's not always happy endings and that sometimes, there is loss and deep grief, but always an inner strength and a new way to live emerge as those that make it, those that don't die or end up in institutions, survive to find a new life with a deeper meaning.
That is really the story of Merili. It all started when I heard a woman say that her husband had spilled a glass of wine on her head and then went on to act as if that happened everyday. It hit me so hard that I started writing as soon as I got home. I thought it would be a short story. I'd never written a book in my whole life. Well, now I have. The story, long ago, veered away from this woman's tale. I see this woman occasionally and it's sad because her husband is still abusing her and she still drinks. I don't spend a lot of time with her, for one thing, its just a little too weird, and she travels back and forth from the island. I've moved on, I guess.
So, now I'm reading a ton of book descriptions on Amazon and perusing Publishers Marketplace everyday looking at the "deals". Guess what people? Tons of books are still being published. Mine is just not "ripe" yet.
I actually decided I didn't like that agent. She really never helped me. See, here's the thing. There's a whole cottage industry that's come out of epublishing and digital publishing. Some of it is really great, but a lot of it isn't. Be careful what you get into. The same things could be available for free or close to it.
