Winners All Around
Congratulations to the winners of
books by Eric Van Lustbader—
Theresa de Valence—First Daughter
Charlie—Blood Trust
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The other night, I had dinner with three friends to celebrate my birthday belatedly. The four of us have been friends for going on 25 years, having first met through our jobs. None of us work together anymore; I left the industry almost twelve years ago and they all work at different companies now. In all these years, though, we’ve made a point of meeting for birthdays and Christmas and the occasional no-special-reason get-together. Each time, we catch up on what’s been going on in our lives and it’s always like we saw each other just last week. That is the essence of real friendship along with knowing we can count on each other when there’s a need. These ladies will always be central to my well-being and I’m sure they feel the same way about me. This is what “through thick and thin” really means.
When the internet with its email, online chats, elists, newsgroups, etc., came into its own, a different kind of friendship evolved, the kind that doesn’t require actually meeting people face to face. When you get right down to it, it’s a glorified penpal system. As a teenager and young twenty-something, I had penpals in England and a few other countries and I never met them either but we still considered ourselves friends.
So, we have many acquaintances through the internet and some of them are definitely friends to some extent. For me, one of those is a lady named Jenny Milchman whom I first came to know through a couple of online groups. I don’t truly know Jenny and there’s a good chance we’ll never meet but she’s somebody I look for pretty much every day. Besides the groups we both participate in, I visit her blog and she visits mine. I know Jenny is a mom with active kids, a wife, a former therapist, and an aspiring author.
Aspiring. Such a lonely word and, in Jenny’s case, there had to be times she hated it as much as she loved it. Through eleven long years of querying and hoping and submitting and hoping more and then the awful rejections, Jenny never wavered from her determination, her deep-seated wish, to be published traditionally. In recent times, she has been tempted mightily, as many are, by the possibilities of self-publishing that have become almost de rigueur in the e-book revolution but she held fast to her dream.
Several months ago, Jenny asked if I would consider reading her book in Word format. Now, you have to understand, I don’t have an e-reader and I don’t–DON’T– read books online but I never hesitated to say yes to Jenny, largely because the quality of her writing on our groups led me to believe it would not be a painful chore. I was so very, very right.
COVER OF SNOW is one of the best books I have ever read, hands down. The suspense is almost unrelenting and her characters practically breathe on the page because Jenny is so good at bringing them to life. Is it literary? I’d say “yes” because my personal definition of literary is high-quality writing in the mechanics of grammar and construction but also in the evocation of the author’s vision. Most of all, I was struck by the weather which is perhaps the most important character in this story. I’m not talking about weather in the sense of a disastrous storm; this weather, snow and bone-chilling cold, is perfectly normal for the geographic setting but, in Jenny’s hands, has become more than an integral element. It is essential and it is alive. I truly felt the sheer intensity of the cold and saw the seemingly endless vistas of unrelenting white while I was reading as though I were there in the story.
Jenny Milchman has just recently gotten a contract with a traditional publisher, one of the Big Six, and I have to say it’s about damn time somebody recognized what a gift COVER OF SNOW is to any publisher. By the time it actually comes out, I will no longer be selling books, but you can bet I’ll be recommending it to anyone who will listen and I’ll be buying myself a first edition to start my collection.
Way to go, Jenny—your day has finally come 
May 28, 2011
Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller
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22 Responses
Wow. I don’t even know what to…wait, I’m a writer, I have to be able to say something.
For Lelia Taylor, whose reviews have led me to some of the best books coming out, to write these words is a dream come true. No one knows books like Lelia…and she liked mine.
I think I’m going Sally Field here.
Let me just thank Lelia for being willing to support me long before I found my publisher–during years she describes to a T–lonely, frightening, worrisome, sometimes even desperate. That is a gift every writer needs.
This book might not have gotten sold without the support of others in the mystery/suspense community (there are specifics on my blog). This world of mystery and suspense is a wondrous one, and whether Lelia is selling books, reviewing them, or being a friend to all writers, she is an integral part.
I’m lucky enough to be in contact with Jenny on Facebook (I hope to meet in person soon!) and I can say that it is great to see such a nice person succeed in a very difficult business.
Jenny has supported a lot of Indie authors during her own journey, so Good Karma obviously does know what it is doing.
Congratulations again, Jenny, and I can’t wait to read that book in print!
And, thanks for the great blog post.
“one of the best books I have ever read, hands down.”
I’ve only read the first chapter, but right away I told Jenny I could FEEL the peeling paint on the porch, smell that delicious New-England air, and could not wait to learn more. No one deserves great success more than she! A giving, kind, loving person who always helps others–it’s so good to see the good guys win.
Congratulations on finding a publisher. Sounds like this is just a wonderful book.
I’ve known Jenny for a couple of years, and I agree. This couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more talented person. Jenny, we are expecting great things from you in the months and years to come!
I’ve been hearing a lot about Jenny, too. I can’t wait to read her book.
Lelia, I love your blog!
Thank you for all your comments and support, Alison, Savvy, Pat, Shelly, & Kathleen!
What an amazing and lovely article! There is something genuine and wonderful about you, Jenny Milchman, and it comes across in your writings.
I am also loving this blog! I confess that I am new to it. I just spent half an hour here, and I am now a follower!
AS an aspiring writer myself, Jenny’s story is simply awe inspiring. She’s the toughest person I know as a writer, sticking with it for so long.
I met Jenny through ABNA, and though she and I have had our rivalries over certain aspects of writing, I would absolutely consider her one of my best online friends.
Congratulations Jenny! I hope the celebration of your success lasts on and on, even beyond the release of your book. You deserve every second of it.
Jenny, I’m so pleased for you. Such a wonderful review from Lelia, too. I’m greatly looking forward to reading this book. Iread and reviewed your short story, The Old Man and very much enjoyed it. But a whole book? Can’t wait!
When another writer says your book is great, you know you’ve arrived! Congrats to Jenny.
And not only all that–which I entirely agree with–but also Jenny is simplyone of the Nicest people I’ve ever met. And fortunately, the writing world is filled with nice people. But Jenny is stillar in her unfailing support of other writers and in promoting others’ books. No matter how discouraged she may have gotten, there was always a sense of her being happy for others. Isn’t it lovely to know that nice people DO win sometimes!
Jenny,
Can’t wait to read your book. I, too, will have a first edition of it!!!!
Lelia, what a wonderful, heartfelt tribute you gave to Jenny. I haven’t yet met her, either, but I hope to in the not too distant future. She’s a New Jersey gal, too. Congrats again to you, Jenny. I’ve experienced those long years of hoping and perseverance, as well, so double kudos to you for hanging in there and not even thinking of giving up!
Thanks to everyone for sharing your kind thoughts for Jenny and my own personal big thank you to those with such kind words for Buried Under Books—please come back often
Jenny, your books sounds really good. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Dear Lelia,
Great article. This is the review I wrote for Jenny’s The Very Old Man
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Jenny Milchman is a fine writer who can tell a gripping story. I loved A Very Old Man. As one reads, a slow chill begins to creep inside the skin and take root. There is a Hitchcockian feel to the story, a nightmarish quality. Very, very well done. And the fact that Jenny had no children when she wrote it is indeed evidence of the magic of a talented writer. I highly recommend A Very Old Man. It’s a short story well worth the tiny price. It’s on amazon.com and the book is called Lunch Reads: [...]
I’m looking forward to your first novel – COVER OF SNOW. Can’t wait to order it.
Bravo, Jenny!
Joan
By the way, I wrote this review before I knew anything about COVER OF SNOW. It was literally hours after that I found out. So exciting!
Jenny – congratulations! Wishing you all the success in the world (well, maybe not *all* – reserving a small portion for myself, LOL!)
Leila – definitely adding your site to my list of blogs to pay attention to
-Lauryn
I went away for for a few, came here right away because my writing kindred spirit, Savannah Thorne (how I await *her* work getting published
mentioned Thomas’ kind words–and was overwhelmed to see you all here. Thank you so much for your well-wishes and most of all for understanding what it means to sell a book after so long. I am doubly glad you all discovered Lelia’s blog because it’s a true gem.
Connie, I so appreciate your words–what a truly nice thing to say–and Thomas, back atcha. No rivalries! I told you, that was just good, honest, writer’s debate
Geraldine, your own work is one of my recent discoveries this year (DEADLY REUNION is literally next on my Pile), so to hear you mention my short story is a real honor. And Joan is another new discovery (her NIGHT CORRIDOR arrived on my porch on Saturday). I do believe there may be a causal connection between Joan’s review and my getting an offer–they happened so close
OK, I don’t know if you guys are reading all these
But for me it’s a cyber cocktail party, and I am so happy to see you all here. Donna’s right about the writing world, and ironically, *she* is one of the nicer people I’ve had the honor to come across, not to mention a wonderful writer–I was thrilled to see her A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE getting some new buzz over on the Amazon reader forums.
Jacquie, I definitely feel I haven’t arrived, but just your saying it opens up a vision for me that makes my eyes widen. Prentiss, I don’t even know how to respond to the words ‘first edition’. Those are some of the prettiest words I’ve ever seen–thank you for printing them here
And Ellis, thank you for looking forward. That is maybe the nicest thing of all for me now.
Coco, your novel is one I’ve been hearing about–one of my favorite bloggers called SHE HAD TO KNOW a perfect Gothic thriller, or words to that effect–and I still recall your trailer. It will be on that Pile of mine soon.
And Lauryn, you already know that I’m rooting hard for plenty of success to come your way–not least because then I can get my copy of CONFLICT OF INTEREST in print
The great thing about the writing world is that the more great books there are out there, the better it is for readers–and thus other writers. I’m so proud to be joining you all in this wonderful world. Thank you for making the beginning such an absolute blast.
Jenny
I see Jenny got a well-deserved standing ovation for being a talented writer and one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. I’m the one still standing in the auditorium. Encore! Encore! Keep ‘em coming, Jenny.
Hi Juanita! Thank you, very much–and I am eagerly awaiting your own book being out there one of these days…
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